Koen is the Chief Scientist at the Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC) in Lima and an international consultant specializing in the conservation biology of dolphins and whales, as well as epidemiological aspects of viral, skin and bone pathologies. Hence he co-founded the Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED). He holds a Licentiate degree from the University of Gent, and a Doctor’s (PhD) degree in Zoology from the University of Amsterdam. Koen has also been involved for decades in conservation and research projects focused on aquatic mammals of West and Central Africa. He co-founded the Conservation and Research of West African Aquatic Mammals (COREWAM). Moreover he is actively involved in studies of cetaceans in the Middle East, particularly the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
Koen has (co-)authored some 328 scientific articles.
An Emeritus Chief Scientist and Alternate Commissioner for Belgium at the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Koen is also a decades-long CITES expert for Belgium for marine mammals. He is the founding chair of the IWC Ship Strikes Working Group and a member of the SOLAMAC Ethics Committee. Currently he serves as the subject Editor for Aquatic Mammals at the Journal of Animal Diversity. With his 40 yr expertise in marine mammal conservation and research, Koen continues to co-ordinate and advise research projects world-wide.
