Gustavo Fonseca

Gustavo Fonseca is the Director of Programs at the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the largest independent funding mechanism supporting the global commons, housed at the World Bank and serving 155 countries. A tenured Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil, he was the first Executive Director of Center for Applied Biodiversity before becaming the Chief Conservation and Science Officer of Conservation International. He published close to 150 publications articles and books, including 15 times in Science, four times in Nature, and twice in PNAS. He received the Oliver Austin Award of the University of Florida’s State Museum for outstanding research in the natural sciences, the Environmental Protection Award of Government of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the Distinguished Service Recognition award from the Brazil Biodiversity Fund (Funbio), and the Golden Ark Award, an official order of the Dutch government, the highest environment award of the Netherlands. Mr. Fonseca holds a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies and a Ph.D. in Forest Management and Conservation from the University of Florida.