Dr. Nurzhafarina (Farina) Othman is a conservation scientist and community advocate dedicated to the protection of the endangered Bornean elephant. With a PhD in Bioscience from Cardiff University, she leads efforts that blend science, local knowledge, and policy to promote human-elephant coexistence in Sabah, Malaysia.

Through her work with Seratu Aatai, Farina focuses on understanding elephant movements, mitigating conflict, and raising awareness across diverse sectors from local communities to government agencies and industry stakeholders. Her field research, including GPS collaring, habitat assessments, and community interviews, has led to impactful outcomes: her findings have successfully halted a development project that would have further fragmented elephant habitats, identified critical corridors to improve elephant movement, and informed more wildlife-sensitive approaches to linear infrastructure development.

Farina has also developed innovative education programs and championed inclusive dialogues to ensure elephants and people can share the landscape safely. Driven by the belief that elephant conservation is a shared responsibility, her work encourages everyone whether in the field, at the policymaking table, or in everyday life to play a role in protecting this iconic species and the ecosystems they represent.