Reynaldo Luiz Victória has a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of São Paulo (USP) and received a Certificate of Use of the N-15 in Agricultural Research from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He holds a Master’s degree in Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, a Ph.D. in Agronomy, both from USP, and a post-doctorate degree from the University of California-Davis and the University of Washington. He is currently a professor at the University of São Paulo and a scientific advisor to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [National Council for Scientific and Technological Development].

Paulo Artaxo is a physicist with a master’s degree in Nuclear Physics and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics from the University of São Paulo (USP). He has worked at NASA, University of Antwerp (Belgium), Lund (Sweden) and Harvard University. Currently, he is a professor and head of the Applied Physics department at the Institute of Physics at USP. He is a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS). Mr. Artaxo coordinated two Millennium Institutes for the Experimento de Grande Escala da Biosfera-Atmosfera na Amazônia [Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon]. He is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and seven other international scientific panels. He was a Geosciences coordination member at Fapesp, a Brazilian agency that promotes research, and is a member of the coordination team for Fapesp Global Changes Program and Climate Network from the Ministry of Science and Technology. In 2006, he was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. In 2007, Mr. Artaxo received the Earth Sciences Award from The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) and the Prêmio Dorothy Stang de Ciências e Humanidades [Dorothy Stang Prize for Sciences and Humanities] awarded by the São Paulo City Council. In 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Stockholm, Sweden. He also received the Ordem do Mérito Científico Nacional [Order of National Scientific Merit] and the Prêmio USP Destaque 2010 [UPS Outstanding Researcher 2010] for being the university’s researcher with the most accessed publications.

Mercedes Bustamante has a degree in Biology from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, a Master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences from the Federal University of Viçosa (1988) and a Ph.D. in Geobotany from the Universitat Trier. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Brasília, an editorial board member at the journal Oecologia (Springer Verlag), a member of the International Scientific Committees of the LBA and IBGP programs and the coordinator of the research network ComCerrado (MCT). Ms. Bustamante has experience in Ecology, working mainly on topics like Cerrado, changes in land use, biogeochemistry, and global environmental changes.

Ph.D. in Public Administration and Government from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-EAESP). Master’s degree in Economic Policy Management from the Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), New York, USA. Master’s degree in Public Finance from FGV-EAESP. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from FGV-EAESP. Mário Prestes Monzoni Neto specializes in Sustainability and Environmental Economy, and is a professor at FGV-EAESP and coordinates the Center for Sustainability Studies at FGV-EAESP (GVCes). He has also worked with the World Bank’s Research Department.

José Heder Benatti holds a bachelor and a master’s degree in Law from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and a Ph.D. in science and social and environmental development from the Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos [Higher Amazon Studies Center] in the same university. He is currently a researcher at CNPq and professor at UFPA. He has experience in Law, with emphasis on Property and Environment Law. He focuses on the following topics: The Amazon, local populations and indigenous peoples, protected areas, land regularization and agroecological ownership.

Adolpho José Melfi has a degree in Geology and Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of São Paulo (USP). He is currently a professor at the University of São Paulo. He worked as Associate Professor at the French Universities of Strasbourg, Poitiers, Aix-Marseille III and Toulon et du Var. Mr. Melfi is a member of the Academia Brasileira de Ciências [Brazilian Academy of Sciences], the Academia de Ciências da América Latina [Latin American Academy of Sciences], the Academia de Ciências do Estado de São Paulo [São Paulo State Academy of Sciences], the Academie d’Agriculture de France and the Académie des Sciences d’Outre Mer, France. He has received several academic awards: Silver Medal in Geology; Gran Cruz of Scientific Merit, Palmes Académique from the French Government, Geoscientist of the year 2004 from TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries). He was President at the University of São Paulo (USP) and Director at the Centro Brasileiro de Estudos da América Latina [Brazilian Center for Latin American Studies] at the Fundação Memorial da América Latina [Latin American Memorial Foundation]. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Instituto de Energia e Ambiente [Institute of Energy and Environment] (IEE) at USP.

Paulo Moutinho has a Ph.D. in Ecology and studies the causes of deforestation in the Amazon and its consequences for biodiversity, climate change and inhabitants of the region. He has worked in the Brazilian Amazon for over 20 years and is an IPAM co-founder, where he held the position of executive director twice. Mr. Moutinho co-authored the “compensated deforestation reduction” concept, which contributed to developing the mechanism known as REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) discussed under the UN Climate Convention. He participated actively in the establishment of the Amazon Fund and the National Policy on Climate Change, the latter made into law. From 2006 to 2010, he worked with an associate scientist associated with the Woods Hole Research Center in the USA, of which he is currently an associate member for environmental policy issues. He has also worked for several years as a professor at the Federal University of Pará and is currently a senior researcher at IPAM.

Eugênio Pantoja is IPAM’s Director of Territorial Planning and Public Policy. He holds a law degree from the Federal University of Pará. As a manager and consultant, he has worked with strategic planning and discussion of public policies in the areas of environment, sustainable development and territorial development in the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas and Mato Grosso, with forays at the German Agency for International Development Cooperation (GIZ), IBAMA, Sebrae, GeoPlus FBDS, government of Acre, Conservation International Brazil, among others. In his career, he accumulated experience both in the public and private sectors. He has worked with indigenous peoples and local communities, environmental management, environmental services, territorial planning and development, indicators and impact monitoring and project evaluation.

Luiz Paulo Pires Maciel is IPAM’s Director of Operations and Finance. He holds a master’s degree in Finance from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-EAESP) and a business administration degree from the University of Brasília (UnB). He was a financial director of Grupo 954, where he supervised the financial, human resources and network infrastructure areas. In the financial area, he led the process of ZBB (Zero-Base Budgeting) and turnaround, with cost reduction and margin increase. Mr. Maciel was also responsible for evaluating and financially structuring the group’s new business area, including two startups with angel investor investment. Previously, he was a partner at Finenge e Associados, where he structured several fundraising operations with multilateral organizations (BNDES, IFC, IDB, DEG, FMO, CAF) and private equity, with over US$1.2 billion approved and more than 40 projects in several segments. He has also worked at AmBev, where he was a sales analyst and responsible for analyzing operational, market and financial information.

Ane Alencar is IPAM’s Director of Science. She holds a degree in Geography from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), a Masters in Environmental Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System from the University of Boston and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida. Her primary research topic has been to understand the impacts of climate change and forest fragmentation caused by deforestation on the occurrence and increase of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon. In addition, Dr. Alencar has coordinated IPAM initiatives to develop systems to monitor forest carbon stock and loss and monitor deforestation to support the development of REDD projects. Her research involves developing land use scenarios as a tool to support public policy discussions that encourage the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

André Guimarães has a degree in Agronomy from the University of Brasília (UnB) and was Vice-President of Development at Conservation International (CI) Americas, where he supervised the operation in ten Latin American countries. Mr. Guimarães also founded and managed Brasil Florestas, a company that focused on implementing forest products as environmental services. He was the Private Sector Relations Coordinator at the World Bank Pilot program to conserve the Brazilian rain forest and Director of A2R Fundos Ambientais. Mr. Guimarães also managed third sector institutions, such as Instituto BioAtlântica (IBio) and IMAZON.

Lucimar Souza holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Federal University of Pará (2002) and a master’s degree in Latin American Studies with a focus in Tropical Conservation and Development from the University of Florida (2009). Ms. Souza works mainly in education and research related to social aspects of natural resource management and sustainable development and focuses on community management, local agreements, environmental education, gender, development. She also works in the areas of social psychology with a focus on group dynamics and educational psychology.

Cristina Amorim earned a degree in Journalism from the Methodist University of São Paulo in 1999. She has been working on environmental and scientific issues since 2002. Ms. Amorim was a reporter for major Brazilian newspapers (Folha de S. Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo) and websites (Folha Online, O Site), besides collaborating with magazines such as Galileu, Época, and Revista da Unesp. In the third sector, she was assistant communication director at Greenpeace Brazil and communication coordinator at the Observatório do Código Florestal [Forest Code Observatory]. In the public sector, she was editor-in-chief of the communication team at the Ministry of National Integration. She has experience in covering Brazilian environmental politics, climate change, biodiversity, deforestation, territorial planning of the Amazon, conservation strategies and rights of local populations and indigenous peoples. She coordinates IPAM’s communication department since October 2015.

Jesus Freitas has a degree in Economy from the Federal University of Pará and a post-graduate degree in Logistics. He has experience in process controls and budgeting, management and relationship analysis with internal and external clients. At IPAM, he is responsible for controlling research projects, monitoring purchase processes for goods and services, preparing procurement policies and the IT sector.

Cecilia Gonçalves Simões has a degree in Biology from the Federal University of Paraná. She holds a Master’s Degree in Forest Ecology from Kagoshima University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sustainability from Tsukuba University, both in Japan. Dr. Simões has been a researcher at IPAM since February 2015. Currently, she coordinates the Cuiabá (MT) office, where she manages projects related to the territorial implementation of the Forest Code and the development of family agriculture. She participates in the coordination of the “Querência +: Paisagens Sustentáveis” Project.

Divino Silvério has a degree in Biology from the State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT) and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Brasilia (UNB), with a stay at the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC). Dr. Silvério is an accredited professor at the Master’s Program in Ecology and Conservation of the State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT). He has worked mainly on issues related to the effects of land use changes on the regional climate, fire ecology and the dynamics of woody vegetation, from the office in Canarana (MT).

Erika Pinto has a bachelor degree in Ecology from the Universidade Estadual Paulista [São Paulo State University] (UNESP). She is studying to earn a master’s degree from the Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável [Center for Sustainable Development] at the University of Brasília (UnB) and is a researcher at the Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia [Amazon Environmental Research Institute] (IPAM). Since 2004, she has been working at IPAM on projects to develop a new model for family agriculture in the Amazon region, capable of reconciling improving the population’s socioeconomic conditions, reducing emissions from deforestation and changes in land use and valuation of environmental services. She follows the debate on global climate change since the UNFCCC 11th Climate Convention in 2005. In addition, she has coordinated initiatives such as the Projeto Nossa Água, supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger, and the Programa de Pagamento por Serviços Ambientais [Payment for Environmental Services Program] under the Projeto Assentamentos Sustentáveis da Amazônia [Sustainable Settlements of the Amazon Project] supported by Fundo Amazônia [Amazon Fund]. She works in the coordination of the Grupo de Trabalho de Valoração de Serviços Ecossistêmicos [Working Group for the Valuation of Ecosystem Services] of the Coalizão Brasil Clima, Florestas e Agricultura [Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition].

Marcelo Stabile has a degree in Agronomy from the University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), a master’s degree in Agriculture from the Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Agriculture from the University of Sydney (Australia). He has been an IPAM researcher since 2011 and works on agriculture and livestock, especially with a focus on public policies. Dr. Stabile is currently involved in creating compensation mechanisms for producers with a surplus of native vegetation, as well as issues related to reducing and eliminating deforestation of productive chains.

Paulo Monteiro Brando holds Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida and a degree in Forestry Engineering from the University of São Paulo with a stay at the McGill University. In addition to being an IPAM researcher, he is an accredited professor at the Master’s Program in Ecology and Conservation at the State University of Mato Grosso (Unemat). His research explores the effects of climate change and land use on forest depletion in the Amazon region through the use of ecological experiments, dynamic vegetation models and statistics, and remote sensing techniques. In June 2012, Dr. Brando received the award Luis F. Bacardi Young Scientist for Advances in Tropical Conservation at the Tropical Conservation Biology Association (ATBC) Conference, held in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul.

Jarlene Gomes holds a teaching degree in Geography from the Federal University of Acre. She is currently a researcher and coordinator at the IPAM office in Acre, where she works in debates about public policies on family agriculture and its sustainable development with environmental regularity. She collaborates with the initiative that supports monitoring the impact of policies that comprise the Planos de Prevenção e Controle do Desmatamento [Deforestation Prevention and Control Plans] in the Amazon states. Ms. Gomes has worked on mapping governance networks, trying to identify indicators that allow assessing the vulnerability and development opportunities for protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon. She also works with leadership training for grassroots organizations, conceiving and implementing projects, articulating several players from public and private sectors.

Edivan Carvalho has an agricultural technician degree from the Escola Agrotécnica Federal de Castanhal [Castanhal Federal Agrotechnical School] (1994). He is a specialist in Agrarian Systems Analysis and Diagnosis – INCRA / LUMIAR PROJECT (1997) and a teaching degree in Natural Sciences, with a major in Biology from the State University of Pará (2014). He is currently a researcher and coordinator of IPAM’s office in the region of Tapajós / BR-163. In his professional path, he has carried out technical advisory services for family farmers in the Amazon, such as training processes, organizational strengthening, planning of usage for family production units, and implementation and management of agroecological productive subsystems. He participated in surveys, diagnoses, and analyses about territorial and regional planning in the state of Pará, mainly in the BR-163 area of influence. He has worked in the preparation and execution of research, extension and training projects related to the environment, use of natural resources, territorial occupation, new forms of production and sustainable development. Mr. Carvalho is an author and collaborator of publications on the activities, methodologies, and projects developed throughout his professional experiences.

Alcilene Cardoso is a lawyer and educator with activities in the Amazon. She coordinates the IPAM office in Baixo Amazonas (Pará). She has been working with IPAM since 1997 on lowland areas. Her main lines of action are: training leaderships of grassroots organizations such as unions, fishermen’s colonies, associations, cooperatives and others; technical, legal and accounting advice for these workers’ organizations; designing and executing projects as well as their management; preparing booklets, articles and other materials to disseminate data and information related to the work of the Institute.