NEWS
Titus Espedido Cañete selected as one of 15 recipients of the National Geographic 2025 Wayfinder Award presented by Kia
The National Geographic Society announced on June 5 2025 the 15 recipients of its 2025 Wayfinder Award presented by Kia, which included LAMAVE Project Lead Titus Cañete. The award celebrates Explorers ‘transforming how we understand nature, culture and the future of the planet.’
Representing the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Titus is joined by 14 other awardees from across the globe hailing from Chile, Iraq and Zimbabwe amongst others.
Titus Cañete is a marine biologist and emerging deep-sea ecologist and currently serves as Project Lead for LAMAVE’s Deep Sea Shark Research and Conservation Project.
Born and raised in Legazpi in the Bicol Region of the Philippines Titus, or Tides as he is affectionately called, initially studied Biology in pursuit of a future career in medicine. He quickly fell in love with marine conservation and shifted his focus to protecting the oceans. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bicol University College of Science, Titus pushed towards his career in marine conservation and led assessments in coral, seagrass and mangrove conservation working closely with communities, local governments and national agencies for a collaborative approach towards sustainability.
He joined LAMAVE in 2019 and co-led our Palawan Whale Shark Research and Conservation Project studying the whale shark population demographics in the area, research that contributed to the designation of Honda Bay as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA). Titus has also contributed to LAMAVE’s work in another ISRA site - the Ticao Burias Pass Protected Seascape (TBPPS), which is located in his home region of Bicol. Here he continues to collaborate with his past colleagues from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of Region 5, through LAMAVEs position on the Protected Area Management Board of the Ticao Burias Pass Protected Seascape.
Today Tides’ main focus is on the depths of the ocean and his latest work is dedicated to making deep-sea research more accessible through local innovation and inclusive science. A passion that was further fueled when he collaborated with the Ocean Discovery League on the Global Deep Sea Capacity Assessment, which revealed critical gaps in global access to deep-sea science. Titus' research work has been supported by the Save Our Seas Foundation, and he has grown from opportunities from the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy DOOS and the Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator COBRA.
The team is deeply proud of Titus and we are excited for what's to come for him as a NGS Explorer.
Working in marine conservation is not always an easy path, it takes a lot of commitment, hard work and taking risks - often going against the grain, or branching out into a career that can feel unknown and uncertain. This award is a testament to how hard work, passion and dedication can lead to new opportunities and we congratulate Tides on these qualities and for showing us all what can be done!