Bio

Alberto is a PhD Candidate in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, supervised by Dr. Kai Chan, and Ocean Leaders graduate fellow. His research seeks to understand the cascades triggered by defaunation – including species extinctions, local extirpations and severe population reductions – and their ecological consequences, in order to propose management and rewilding practices that could recover environmental services for the benefit of all beings.

As a conservation biologist, Alberto co-founded the NGO Aquasis (www.aquasis.org) and worked as its principal Director for nearly 20 years, promoting endangered species and habitat conservation in Brazil. He has received three Conservation Leadership Awards and the prestigious Future for Nature Award. In 2017 Aquasis received the Brazilian National Biodiversity Award for downlisting endangered species in the Brazilian and IUCN red lists, and for the long-term commitment with biodiversity conservation and community engagement.