PARTICIPANTS
Bios for expert panel speakers and roundtable leaders.
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Adriana Lobo is Managing Director of Global Presence and National Action at the World Resources Institute (WRI). She has more than 20 years of professional experience promoting sustainable policies, urban mobility projects, urban development and environment. During her 18 years as executive director of the World Resources Institute Mexico (formerly CTS EMBARQ Mexico) and more recently Colombia, Adriana has led the organization from 5 to 100 people in Mexico, the opening of the Colombia office and significant achievements, starting with the implementation of the first BRT system in Mexico City, Metrobús, which carries over 1.5 million daily passengers. She also led the partnership for the implementation of transit systems in Guadalajara and other Mexican cities, also influencing significantly the Mobility and Road Safety Mexican National Policy, other legislations and the creation of funds.
Adriana Ramos coordinates the Policy and Law Program of the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a Brazilian NGO created to propose integrated solutions to social and environmental issues. She is one of the representatives of NGOs in the Guidance Committee of the Amazon Fund, and coordinates the Brazilian NGO Forum working group on forests. She was also a member of the National Environmental Council of Brazil as elected representative of Brazilian NGOs from 2002-2006.
Albina Ruiz Rios is the Minister of the Environment of Peru. Prior to that appointment in 2022, she served as the Vice Minister of Environmental Management of the Ministry of the Environment. Over the past 20 years, her professional work has been widely recognized nationally and internationally. Albina Ruiz Rios is also a renowned industrial engineer, graduated from the National Engineering University (UNI). She is also an environmentalist, activist, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder and leader of Ciudad Saludable, a non-profit organization focused on environmental health based in Lima, Peru, and a member of the Schwab Foundation for the World Economic Forum. Ruiz was the only woman in her class at the National University of Engineering, where she specialized in industrial engineering. She later obtained a master’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Management from Ricardo Palma University and a doctorate in Chemistry from Ramon Llull University in Barcelona. She began working on the health and environmental problems caused by uncollected household waste in Peru when she was a student.
Ani Dasgupta is President and CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI), where he works to advance the institute’s global vision to improve the lives of all people and ensure that nature can thrive. Dasgupta is a widely-recognized leader in the areas of sustainable cities, urban design and poverty alleviation. He developed his expertise in positions ranging from nonprofits in India to the World Bank, where he developed the Bank’s first Knowledge strategy. Prior to joining WRI in 2014, Dasgupta served as Director of Knowledge and Learning at the World Bank, where he provided leadership in the Bank’s knowledge services for development.
Mag. Antonio Leonidas Pulgar Lucas is the President of the Amazon Regional Commonwealth, representing 6 regional governments covering the Amazon region of Peru. He has been active in regional policy and election since 2002, including a term as mayor of the district of Amarilis from 2018-2022, where he was recognised for his work in education, health, transportation, ornamentation, among others. In his position, he has spearheaded initiatives around access to health services and agriculture.
Served different positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past: Former Secretary for Environmental Affairs, Head of the Special Office for International Relations. Former member of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity Of Cultural Expressions; former Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to FAO.
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Beto Veríssimo is the coordinator for Amazônia 2030, an initiative of Brazilian researchers working to reach a higher level of economic and human development and achieve the sustainable use of natural resources in 2030. Previously, he was an agronomist at the Federal Rural University of Amazônia (UFRA), post-graduate in Ecology at Penn State University, senior researcher and co-founder of the Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia (Imazon) and director of the Centro de Empreendedorismo da Amazônia (CEA).
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Carina Pimenta leads the National Bioeconomy Secretariat in Brazil, established in January 2023 by Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva. She previously served as the co-founder and executive director of the Sustainable Connections Institute (Conexsus), where she built new solutions and alliances in the areas of social and environmental impact finance, community business development and market access. She was previously partner at Hellas Sustainable Development Consulting firm, Manager at Fundo Vale and Manager at Ashoka – Social Entrepreneurship
Carlos Nobre is an Earth System scientist from Brazil and serves on the Science Panel for the Amazon. Previously, he was the National Secretary of R&D for the Ministry of Science and Technology of Brazil, President of the Federal Agency for Post-Graduate Education (CAPES), and creator of the Amazon Third Way-Amazonia 4.0 Initiative that seeks a new development paradigm based on a biodiversity-driven bio-economy utilizing modern technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He is foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences, member of the Brazilian Academy of Science and of the World Academy of Science.
Carlos Alfredo Lazary Teixeira is the Executive Director of OCTA, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. Previously, he was the Ambassador of Brazil in Ecuador (2015 – 2018) and in Lima (2011 – 2015), Minister Counselor in Washington and Deputy Consul General in Miami (United States), and Chief of the Political Sector of the Embassy of Brazil in Buenos Aires (Argentina), among other diplomatic roles.
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Danilo Fernandes is a Professor and Researcher at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), where he works in the area of agrarian dynamics and sustainable development, regional and urban development and the history of thinking about development in Brazil and the Amazon. He is also a professor and researcher at the PPGE, the Sustainable Development Program of the Trópico Úmido and the Graduate Program degree in Urban and Regional Planning and Development in the Amazon.
Edmilson Rodrigues was elected Mayor of Belem, Brasil in 2020, after serving as mayor of the city from 1997 to 2005. Architect, professor, and Brazilian politician, affiliated with the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL). He was also a member of Para’s state legislature (1987-1995 and 2011-2015) and a representative in Congress for the same state (2015-2021). He holds a PhD in geography from the University of São Paulo (USP) and is a faculty member at the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA).
Erin is an environmental economist with over 15 years of experience in advancing sustainable development solutions. As a Senior Economist at the World Resources Institute, she specializes in economic valuation and financing of nature-based solutions (NbS), particularly in the forest-water-economics nexus. Her work focuses on making the economic case for NbS in water security and climate change adaptation, catalyzing finance and policies, and driving systems change. Erin holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University. She resides in Fort Collins, CO, where she actively serves on the City’s Economics Advisory Board.
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Fany Kuiru Castro, first women to be elected as General Coordinator of COICA in 2023, she was born to traditional authorities of the Jitomagaro clan of the Uitoto people and grew up in La Chorrera, in the middle of the Colombian Amazon, and has been involved with the indigenous peoples movement in Colombia. From a very young age she became involved in the organizational processes and struggles of the movement, being the first woman who, together with the leaders of the region, fought for the recovery and constitution of the large Indigenous Resguardo Predio Putumayo (the largest in Colombia), in the Department of Amazonas. She has a Master’s degree in Political and International Studies with a laureate thesis from the Universidad del Rosario, a Specialist in Senior State Management from the School of Public Administration and a Lawyer from the Universidad Santo Tomas de Aquino. Lawyer and Coordinator of Women, Children and Family of OPIAC.
Fernanda Sánchez is an Environmental Engineer from UISEK Ecuador, with a Master’s degree in Environmental Management for Sustainable Development from the University of Queensland, Australia. With over ten years of experience working with communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Fernanda is passionate about understanding indigenous worldviews and promoting sustainability in productive processes. She has held various positions, including National Director of Biodiversity at the Ministry of Environment in Ecuador. Currently, Fernanda serves as the Coordinator for the Amazon Region in the BioValor Program, implemented by GIZ Ecuador. She leads efforts to develop the bioeconomy and deforestation-free supply chains in three Amazonian provinces, while also supporting the creation of sustainable bioeconomy policies at the national and local levels. Fernanda also coordinates the GIZ’s internal bioeconomy working group in Latin America, facilitating the exchange of experiences and providing strategic technical assistance in the region.
Francisco Piyáko is the leader of the Apiwtxa village, home to the Ashaninka people, from Acre, near Marechal Taumaturgo. With a long history of advocacy, Francisco has been at the forefront of the search for organization and strengthening of his people. He served as the advisor and secretary of the Acre State government for Indigenous Peoples from 2003-2010, advised the presidency of the National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai), and ran for Federal Deputy, lower house of the Brazilian congress, under the Psol party, in 2018. With the support of Francisco, the Ashaninka have successfully accessed Amazon Fund resources to establish the Alto Juruá project to promote agroforestry management and production in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities located around the Kampa do Rio Amônia Indigenous Land, already executing over R$6 million.
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Gustavo Souza is the Director of Policy and Climate for the Americas at Conservation International. Prior to this role, Gustavo led the Public Policy program at CDP Latin America. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Management from USP and a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Management from the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Gustavo has 12+ years of professional experience in government relations and advocacy, project management, sustainable finance, environmental research, and climate policy, Gustavo is a fellow of the Climate KIC Journey, affiliated with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. He is also a mentor and professor in the Youth Climate Leaders network, a member of the advisory board of the Youth4Nature network, and a sustainability leader in the United People Global.
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Helder Zahluth Barbalho is the Governor of the state of Pará, Brasil. Before he was elected as Governor in 2018, he served as the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Chief Minister of the National Secretariat of Ports and Minister of National Integration in Brasil. Governor Barbalho has worked in public policy over 20 years, including being elected Mayor of Ananindeua at age 25, becoming the youngest mayor in the history of Pará. He has a degree in Administration from Universidade da Amazônia and an Executive MBA in Public Management from the Fundação Getúlio Vargas.
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Jhénifer Mojica Flórez is the Minister of Agriculture in Colombia. Prior to her appointment in this role in 2023, she served as the director of Ethnic Affairs of the Land Restitution Unit and deputy director of the Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ).
José Mauro O’de Almeidais the State Secretary for Environment and Sustainability for Pará, Brasil. He joined the Office of the General Counsel to the Federal Government in 2000, and has been working on legal and political institutions for the past 40 years. Previously, he served as the Head of the Federal Attorney’s Office in the State of Pará, and Head of the Legal Counsel at the Ministry of Environment of Brazil where he championed the drafting and adoption of many important environmental laws.
Joaquim Correa de Souza Belo is the President of CNS. He also serves as Secretary of the National Council of Seringuei of the National Council of Seringueiro Escr Amapá, Counselor of the Amazon Working Group, president of the association of the Association of Agro Extractivist Workers of Carvão Mazagão, administrative treasurer of the Network of Familias Schools Agricula do Carvão Mazagão, and member of the Forum of the Associations of Farmers of Mazagão.
Joaquim Levy is currently a member of WRI’s Global Board of Directors, and Director of Economic Strategy and Market Relations at Banco Safra Brazil. Previously, he served as the Minister of Finance for Brazil and as President of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), as well as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer at the World Bank and other positions at the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Dr. Joice Nunes Ferreira is a scientist at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental in Brazil. She graduated with a Biology degree from Universidade do Tocantins (1997), has a master’s on Ecology from Universidade de Brasília (2000) and a PHD on Ecology from Universidade de Brasília (2006). She has experience in Ecology, focusing on Applied Ecology, on ecosystem services and global environmental changes.
Juan Ferreira is the Programs Director for Latimpacto, the Latin American Venture Philanthropy Network. As Programs Director he leads the Climate and Nature Impact Community and the Pan-Amazon Impact Initiative, aiming to align impact capital to the needs and opportunities of the region. Juan previously worked in the creation phase of Latimpacto, as a consultant for the International Venture Philanthropy Center (IVPC). Previously he worked at FUNDES and at the Association of Corporate and Family Foundations in Colombia. He holds a BA in International Relations from Sheffield University and a MA in International Political Economy from King’s College, London with complementary studies in Human Rights Law from New College, Oxford.
Currently, she is the Secretary of Environment and Indigenous Policies of the State of Acre. She is the President of the Forum of Secretaries of the Legal Amazon and the President of the Governors’ Task Force on Climate and Forests (GCF TF – Brazil). She has previously held the position of Secretary of Biodiversity at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA). She has also served as the Director of Ecosystems and Acting Secretary of the Amazon and Environmental Services at the MMA. She has been involved in the conservation and restoration of native vegetation and the sustainable use of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, marine, and Antarctic ecosystems. She has worked on the National REDD+ Strategy and its governance framework – the National Commission for REDD+ (CONAREDD+). She has coordinated the Safeguards Working Group of CONAREDD+ and the Working Group of the Planaveg in Conaveg.
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Kurt Holle is the Country Representative of Peru for WWF. He has over 25 years of experience bringing together biodiversity conservation and business activity, under a vision of sustainability and generating benefits for the local population. Prior to joining WWF, he founded and served as director of Rainforest Expeditions, an ecotourism company, and got a degree as a forestry engineer from the La Molina Agrarian University.
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Luis Augusto Briceño Jara serves as the Executive Director of the Amazon Regional Commonwealth, covering the regions of Amazonas, Huanuco, Loreto, Madre de Dios, San Martin and Ucayali. In this role, he promotes the design Sustainable and Inclusive Development policies. He previously served as General Manager of the Regional Government of Huanuco (2019-2020) and of the Regional Government of Ucayali (2015-2018).
Livia has a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Government (FGV-EAESP), a Master’s degree in Environmental Governance (Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg), and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences (PUC-SP).She has extensive experience in private social investment and applied research projects in academia and civil society, focusing on topics related to sustainable development (Amazon, climate change, ecosystem services, sustainable cities, businesses, and territorial development). Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Researcher at IPP/Cebrap, professor in the postgraduate programs at FGV, and the Knowledge Manager at Instituto Arapyaú.
Graduate in Environmental Governance from São Paulo University and specialist in Management for Sustainability Luiza is coordinator at Igarapé Institute under the Climate Security Program. Previously she has locally coordinated projects on Climate and Forest Governance Policies for the Brazilian Amazon (Rondônia and Amapá) and in the private sector gained experience in the agribusiness sector at multinational companies as CSR coordinator and auditor for different standards of certification. Luiza was also a fellow of the Columbia Women’s Leadership Network and of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation on its Program on International Climate Protection.
Luz Marina Mantila has served as the General Director of Instituto Sinchi for the past 25 years, where she has consolidated key scientific research needed for the design and implementation of public policies that contribute to the sustainable development and conservation of the Amazon region.
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Marcelo Furtado is a Principle at Nature Finance, with over 30 years of experience working in the sustainability field, committed to advancing environmental and social justice through advocacy and philanthropy. Previously, he co-founded the Brazilian Coalition on Climate Forest and Agriculture, a multi-stakeholder forum aiming to implement a just and sustainable low carbon economy, and served as CEO of Alana Foundation and Arapyaú Institute, family foundations that promote sustainability, social justice and education. He also spent twenty-four years at Greenpeace where he served as Executive Director of Greenpeace Brazil, and was previously Head of the Forest, Climate & Energy, and Toxics and Oceans campaigns in Brazil.
Indigenous leader of the Tukano people, belonging to the Indigenous Reservation of Panúre and the Association of Indigenous Traditional Authorities, “ASOPAMIRIMAJSA” in the department of Guaviare. She studied law at the University of Meta and has worked as the Indigenous Department Liaison for the Guaviare Government and as a consultant on indigenous affairs at HILFSWERK INTERNATIONAL.
Marciely Ayap Tupari serves as the Communicator of the Association of Ethno-Environmental Protection (AGIR), Coordinator of the Women’s Department of the WÃYPA Indigenous Association and Councillor of the Union of Indigenous Women of the Brazilian Amazon (UMIAB). She also serves as Councillor of Municipal Council for Women’s Rights of Cacoal (CMDM) and Communicator of the Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB).
Melina Risso is the Research Director at Igarapé Institute. She is also the co-founder of the Agora! Movement, a member of the Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública, and former director of the Sou da Paz Institute. With over 15 years of experience in public safety issues, she is committed to developing and improving public policies on violence prevention, police reform, and social development.
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Patricia Serrano is the manager of the Amazonian Integral Forest Conservation and Sustainable Production Programme (PROAmazonía) at UNDP. PROAmazonía is an initiative set up by the Ecuadorian government with the Ministries of the Environment and of Agriculture to mitigate climate change and tackle the main causes of deforestation.
Dr. Paulo Moutinho, a Ph.D. in Ecology, studies the causes of deforestation in the Amazon and its consequences for biodiversity, climate change, and the region’s inhabitants. He has been working in the Brazilian Amazon for over 20 years and was a co-founder of IPAM, where he served as the executive director twice. Moutinho is a co-author of the concept known as “compensated reduction of deforestation,” which contributed to the development of the mechanism known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), discussed within the framework of the UN Climate Convention. Moutinho played an active role in the establishment of the Amazon Fund and the National Policy on Climate Change, the latter of which was transformed into law. From 2006 to 2010, he worked as an adjunct scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center in the USA, where he is currently an associate member for environmental policy issues. He also served as a professor at the Federal University of Pará for several years and is currently a senior researcher at IPAM.
Patricia Pinho is the Deputy Science Director at IPAM Amazônia – Amazon Environmental Research Institute. Her research focuses on the impact of climate change on natural ecosystems, indigenous communities, and traditional societies, with a special interest in the Amazon and Cerrado region, as well as understanding how people adapt to these challenges and address issues of inequality and residual risk through justice. She also serves as lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) WGII for AR6 and the Special Report on 1.5°C warmer world implications for sustainable development.
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Rachel Biderman is the Vice President of the Americas at Conservation International, where she leads strategies and programs on climate change, forests, biodiversity and community engagement / bioeconomy. For 30 years, she has concentrated her work in the field of climate change and forests, engaging with private sector, civil society organizations, communities, government and academia to support collaboration on sustainable development projects and policies. Previously, Rachel spent nine years leading WRI Brasil, and seven years at FGV Business School – Center for Sustainability Studies. She was Co-Chair of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture (2021-22). Lawyer from the University of Sao Paulo, Masters in INternational Law (AU-WCL) and on Environmental sciences (USP), PHD on Public Administration (FGV-SP).
Rafael Feltran-Barbieri works in the Forest and Climate teams at WRI Brasil as Senior Economist, leading econometric analyzes based on Agricultural Economics and the Environment. Currently Rafael is involved in Landscape Restoration, Natural Infrastructure and New Climate Economy projects.
Renata Truzzi is the Country Director for NESsT’s Brazil office where she is responsible for managing the NESsT portfolio of social enterprises and further developing NESsT activities in Brazil. Prior to joining NESsT, Renata gained extensive experience in fundraising, marketing, communications and management, working with Brazilian nonprofits.
Regis Germán Richter Alencar is the Governor of Pando, Bolivia. Prior to his election to Governor in 2021, he served as the mayor of the Porvenir municipality for over a decade.
Member of the Board of Directors of Marfrig and Wise Plásticos. Chairman of the Board of Arapyaú Institute. Co-founder and member of the strategic and governance cores of Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture, and Amazon Concertation. Member of the advisory boards of WWF Brasil and Ethos Institute. Associated Fellow of Chatham House (London). Biologist and Master in Business Administration from USP. Author of dozens of articles and lectures in the areas of governance, strategy, forest sector, and climate change.
Ruth Noguerón is a Senior Associate in the Forests Program at WRI, where she promotes the use of satellite forest monitoring data in forest management, conservation, and forest legality decision-making processes, including identifying and documenting the enabling conditions for the wide-spread adoption of this data. Before joining WRI, Ruth worked in México City at the Tropical Action Forest Program (PROAFT).
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Svetlana Klimenko is a Global Lead for Sustainable Finance and Lead Climate Finance Specialist in Latin America and the Caribbean region of the World Bank. Svetlana has provided significant contributions to the development and evolution of global climate, sustainable finance and private capital mobilization agendas, including through the engagement with the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group, global standard-setters, investors, United Nations and international organizations, and through her role coordinating World Bank dialogue with the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance.
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Tanya Yudelman is a member of the World Bank’s GEF-financed Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program core team, supporting both the Regional Coordination and Brazil projects, where among other aspects she facilitates a working group on sustainable financing for protected areas and nature. A biologist with over 25 years of experience working at the interface of environmental and social aspects of sustainable development in Africa and Latin America, her particular areas of focus are biodiversity conservation and financing, natural resource management, community driven development and integrated coastal zone management. Tanya also supports the World Bank’s West Africa Coastal Resilience Program, with a focus on strengthening protected areas and sustainable financing, including a community-based blue carbon project. She helped found the BioGuinea Foundation, a conservation trust fund in Guinea Bissau, which she continues to support as Special Advisor. Tanya holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London, and a Bachelor degree in Pure and Applied Biology from Oxford University.
Tatiana Deane Abreu de Sá has been a researcher at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental for 49 years, where she was General Head (between 2003 and 2005) and Executive Director (2005 and 2011). She is also a collaborating Professor at UFPA, coordinator of the Núcleo Puxirum Agroecológico, and Vice-President North of ABA Agroecologia.
Tatiana Schor leads IADB’s Amazon Initiative as Unit Chief at Amazon Region. Her previous roles include Executive Secretary for the Science, Technology, and Innovation Agency (SECTI) of the State of Amazonas, Coordinator of the Amazonas State Center for Protected Areas, and Adjunct Secretary of State for Rural Production Planning. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Master’s degree in Geography (Human Geography, 1999), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science (2005) from the University of São Paulo. She completed a postdoctoral internship in Urban and Economic Geography at the Center for Place, Culture, and Politics, Graduate Center, CUNY – USA. She received the Ruth Cardoso Chair Prize – Columbia University and was a Fulbright-CAPES scholar in NY-USA from 2016 to 2017. Professor in the Department of Geography at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM).
Prof. Luis Antonio (Toni) Lindau, Ph.D., is the Director of WRI Brasil Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, where he leads and provides technical guidance to a team of professionals working for the implementation of projects under WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities’ strategy. Prior to joining WRI, he was a Professor at the Engineering School of UFRGS. He co-founded ANPET, the Brazilian Association for Research and Education in Transport and served as president from 2002-2006.
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Vanessa is the Global Economics Center director at the World Resources Institute, where she manages a growing and diverse team of Economists, develops strategies to ensure that innovative and high-quality economic analysis is used to spearhead and support strategic projects across WRI, and implements approaches to strengthen WRI’s capacity to design and deploy innovative economic approaches to advance structural solutions to today’s most acute environmental challenges. Vanessa is an environmental economist with more than 25 years of experience working on the design and up-take of solutions on the intersection of environment, social development, and equity in government, academia, and civil society.
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RESULTS
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Location
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Av. Almirante Barroso, 4614 – Souza, Belém, Pará, Brasil.
