Lera Miles

Lera Miles works at the science-policy interface, aiming to help ensure that climate change mitigation efforts have strong social and environmental benefits whilst avoiding major risks. Over the past decade, her main focus has been on REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation ‘plus’ sustainable management of forest and conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks).  Her work involves supporting countries on spatial planning for REDD+ whilst considering biodiversity and ecosystem services, and on country approaches to the Climate Convention’s safeguards for REDD+.  This spring, she led a rapid map-based assessment of the values and threats to the Central Congo Basin peatlands.  Lera works at UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), where she oversees the Centre’s work for the UN-REDD Programme.   Before joining UNEP-WCMC in 2002, Lera completed her PhD at Leeds University on “The impact of global climate change on tropical forest biodiversity in Amazonia”.