About Us

Leo is a program officer for the Andes-Amazon Initiative.  

Before joining the Foundation, Leo worked with the Conservation Strategy Fund, establishing and consolidating their first field programs in Latin America by leading international technical teams and strengthening institutional relationships. As lead conservation economics analyst, mentor, and instructor, Leo researched the economics of land use, protected areas, sustainable businesses, biodiversity, and infrastructure development, and he has trained nearly 500 conservation practitioners, researchers, and governmental officials in a multitude of countries. Leo was also an invited lecturer of the National Institute of Amazonian Research, and has lectured several MBA courses in Brazil, stimulating business professionals to assess corporate sustainability practices.  He was a member of the international team of experts of The Economics of Ecosystems & Biodiversity for Regional and Local Policy, and has extensive field experience as a researcher in the Mamirauá and Amanã Sustainable Development Reserves in the Brazilian Amazon and as a resident and biologist in the Pantanal Wetlands. He has written numerous publications and helped guide policy decisions, from reducing deforestation to increasing the economic value attributed to ecosystems. 

Leo has a M.Sc. in conservation biology from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent, UK, a M.B.A. with a focus on strategic business management from UNA University, Brazil, and a B.Sc. in biological sciences from UFRGS, Brazil. He is a native of Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.