
Education
2009, 2011
BS, MSc
Forest Engineering
University of São Paulo
BS adviser: HTZ Couto
MSc Adviser: E Vidal
*Concentration: Food and Resource Economics
*Certificates: [1] Tropical Conservation and Development [2] Geographic Information Systems [3] Sustainable Development Practices [4] Latin American Studies
Honors & Grants
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2009
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2001
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Starters en Stimulerings grant, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Netherlands. Co-PI: S Banerjee
Grants for Assessing the Benefits of Satellites, Resources for the Future (RFF) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA. PI: J Caviglia-Harris
Request for Proposals, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand. PI: DF Meason
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Endeavour Fund, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand. PI: DF Meason
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Outstanding Reviewer, World Development journal
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CALS Outstanding International Student Award, University of Florida
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WWF Prince Bernhard Scholarship for Nature Conservation, World Wildlife Fund
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Research Pursuit, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). PI: J Caviglia-Harris
Working Group Grant, Tropical Conservation and Development Program, University of Florida
Graduate Assistantship, Tropical Conservation and Development Program, University of Florida
William C. and Bertha M. Cornett Fellowship, University of Florida
Research Grant, São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP). PI: E Vidal
Doctoral Fellowship, National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq)
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Working Group Grant, Tropical Conservation and Development Program, University of Florida
Masters Fellowship, São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Honorable Mention, Organizing Committee of the III Meeting On Environmental Education in Agriculture. Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC). Brazil
Reviewer Services
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Land Use Policy (2)
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Forests (5)
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PLoS ONE (2)
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Science (1)
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Tropical Ecology (1)
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Sustainability (2)
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Land (3)
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Nature Plants (1)
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The World Bank (1)
Talks & Lectures
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"'Carbon pirates': why offsets are not working" (2024) Guest lecturer (with P Greenfield). Course: MGTECON 340: Data Science for Environmental Business. Stanford University. USA
"Action needed to make carbon offsets from forest conservation work for climate change mitigation" (2023) Invited speaker. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, DC, USA
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"Action needed to make carbon offsets from forest conservation work for climate change mitigation" (2023) Invited speaker. Carbon Club, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA. Pasadena, USA
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"Possible Overestimations: Carbon Reductions in REDD+ Projects and Their Impact on Carbon Markets in Latin America" (2023) Keynote speaker. CCAP (webinar) [Presentation link]
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"Synthetic control methods for impact evaluation" (2022) Guest lecturer. Course: ENV 130 Impact Evaluation of Conservation and Development Projects and Programs. University of Bonn. Bonn, Germany
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"Quality of forest carbon credits in voluntary Carbon Markets: Navigating forest carbon markets towards high integrity" (2023) Panelist. German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Bonn, Germany (webinar)ā
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"Counterfactual methods and their use in the voluntary forest carbon market: past, present and future" (2023) Panelist. Conservation Impact Evaluation Virtual Seminar Series (webinar)ā [Presentation link]
"Synthetic control methods for impact evaluation" (2022) Guest lecturer. Course: ENV 130 Impact Evaluation of Conservation and Development Projects and Programs. University of Bonn. Bonn, Germany
"Voluntary private REDD+ interventions in Peru, Colombia, and Indonesia: disappointing evidence on crediting baselines and project impacts" (2021) Invited speaker. Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative and Meridian Institute. Oslo, Norway, and Washington, DC, USA (webinar)
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"Overstated carbon emission reductions from voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon" (2021) Guest lecturer. Course: ENV 130 Impact Evaluation of Conservation and Development Projects and Programs. University of Bonn. Bonn, Germany
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"Overstated carbon emission reductions from voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon" (2021) Invited speaker. Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG), University of Cambridge. Cambridge, UK (webinar)
"REDD+, are carbon credits impacts overstated?" (2020) Invited speaker. GPSNR Topic Talks! Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Singapore/Bonn, Germany (webinar)
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"Overstated carbon emission reductions from voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon" (2020) Invited speaker. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xishuangbanna, China (webinar)
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"Overstated carbon emission reductions from voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon" (2020) Invited speaker. Moore Center for Science, Conservation International. Arlington, USA (webinar)
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"Inductive pattern-based land-use/cover change (LUCC) models" (2020) Guest Lecturer. Doctoral Programme Climate Change and Land Use, West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Kumasi, Ghana
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"What stops deforestation? Seriously" (2018) Guest Lecturer. Course: LAS 6938 The Amazon. University of Florida. Gainesville, FL, USA [Presentation link]
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"Impacts of REDD+ Payments on a Coupled Human-Natural System in the Amazon" (2017) Seminar. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. University of Georgia. Athens, GA, USA
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"Tropical Forests, Carbon, and REDD+" (2017) Guest Lecturer. Course: FORS 8460 Management and Modeling of Forest Carbon Resource. University of Georgia. Athens, GA, USA
"Making Sense of REDD+, Carbon Markets, and the State of Acre's Nested REDD+ Jurisdiction" (2016) Tropilunch. University of Florida. Gainesville, FL, USA
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"The role of Coupled Human-Natural Systems in Development and Conservation Interventions" (2016) Tropilunch. University of Florida. Gainesville, FL, USA
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"REDD+ and Carbon Markets" (2015) Guest Lecturer. Course: GEO 4938/6938 and LAS 4935/6938 Environmental Catastrophes, Tipping Points, and Challenges. University of Florida. Gainesville, FL, USA
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"REDD project with the Suruís from the Amazon" (2015) Guest Lecturer. Course: LAS 6938 The Amazon. University of Florida. Gainesville, FL, USA
"Can We Stop Deforestation?" (2014) Guest Lecturer. Course: GEA 1000 Geography of a Changing World. University of Florida. Gainesville, FL, USA
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"Training on Carbon Markets and Forest Carbon Methodologies for Auditors" (2011) Lecturer. Rainforest Alliance, Brazil (Imaflora). Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. 40 hours
"Concepts of Forest Carbon Projects" (2012) Invited Speaker. Forestry Science and Research Institute (IPEF) Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
"Payment for Environmental Services" (2011) Invited Speaker. Workshop on Payment for Environmental Services. German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Most Relevant Media Coverage
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How ‘carbon cowboys’ are cashing in on protected Amazon forest. The Washington Post. USA, July 24, 2024
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Big brands' green claims uncovered. BBC's Panorama. UK, May 2, 2024
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Greenwashing mit CO2-Zertifikaten. Frontal. Germany, Dec. 14, 2023
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Carbon credit programs overstate forest preservation, study reveals. NL Times. Netherlands, Aug. 26, 2023
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REDD+ projects falling far short of claimed carbon cuts, study finds. Mongabay. Aug. 25, 2023
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CO2-Kompensation durch Waldschutz hält nicht, was sie verspricht. Top Agrar. Germany, Aug. 25, 2023
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Junk offsets are feeding wave of greenwashing, study shows. Bloomberg. Aug. 24, 2023
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‘Worthless’ forest carbon offsets risk exacerbating climate change. The Conversation. Europe, Aug. 24, 2023
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Forest conservation carbon offsets being significantly overestimated, new study finds. ABC. Australia, Aug. 24, 2023
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Projetos de compensação contra desmatamento geram crédito de carbono fantasma, diz estudo. O Globo. Brazil, Aug. 24, 2023
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Les crédits carbone en forêt tropicale sont illusoires, selon une étude. Le Devoir. France, Aug. 24, 2023
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Carbon credit speculators could lose billions as offsets deemed ‘worthless’. The Guardian. UK, Aug. 24, 2023
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Carbon Offsets to Reduce Deforestation Are Significantly Overestimating Their Impact, a New Study Finds. Inside Climate News. USA, Aug. 24, 2023
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Millions of carbon credits are generated by overestimating forest preservation, study finds. Phys.org. UK, USA, Aug. 24, 2023
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Luangwa Project. RAI's Anteprima Report. Italy, June 19, 2023
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Showcase project by the world’s biggest carbon trader actually resulted in more carbon emissions. Follow the Money. Netherlands, Jan. 27, 2023
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Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest provider are worthless, analysis shows. The Guardian. UK, Jan. 18, 2023
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The Carbon Con. SourceMaterial. Jan. 18, 2023
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CO2-Zertifikate: Grün getarnt. Zeit. Germany, Jan. 18, 2023
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Afkopen van CO2-uitstoot is gouden handel en een grote mislukking. Follow the Money. Nov. 4, 2022
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“Dirty” cows are destroying the Amazon rainforest. Vox. USA, Oct. 19, 2022
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Beef is still coming from protected areas in the Amazon, study shows. Mongabay. Oct. 18, 2022
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Are carbon offsetting apps legit? Mic. June 2, 2021
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Carbon offsets—popular with airlines to make net zero claims—seriously flawed. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. May 19, 2021
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Can flying go green? BBC podcast Business Daily. UK, May 10, 2021
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Le compensazioni delle emissioni delle compagnie aeree sono affidabili? Post. Italy, May 9, 2021
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Emission Impossible. NPR podcast Planet Money. USA, May 7, 2021
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Carbon offsets used by major airlines based on flawed system, warn experts. The Guardian. UK, May 4, 2021
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Top airlines’ promises to offset flights rely on ‘phantom credits’. Unearthed. UK, May 4, 2021
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As COP26 looms and tropical deforestation soars, REDD+ debate roars on. Mongabay. April 15, 2020
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Forest diversity lowers planting risk. Farmers Weekly. New Zealand, April 14, 2021
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REDD+ carbon and deforestation cuts in Amazon overestimated: Study. Mongabay. Nov. 2, 2020
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Did Amazon forest protection offsets save the carbon claimed? Stuff. New Zealand, Sep. 30, 2020
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Impact of effort to reduce Amazon deforestation overestimated, study finds. NC State News. USA, Sep. 21, 2020
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Waldschutz-Pilotprojekte mit geringer Wirkung. idw. Germany, Sep. 15, 2020
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Attempts to reduce Amazon deforestation are overestimating their climate benefits. Scimex. Sep. 15, 2020
Conference Presentations
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West TAP (2024) Carbon credits from tropical forest conservation projects unlikely to mitigate climate change. Offsetting: multidisciplinary research perspectives on a controversial tool of climate governance (workshop) Oral presentation. Amsterdam Sustainability Institute and Centre for Climate Change and the Law. 23 May 2024, Netherlands
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West TAP et al. (2022) Carbon credits from tropical forest conservation projects unlikely to mitigate climate change. XXIII Annual BIOECON Conference: “Biodiversity, Finance and Economy.” University of Exeter. 4-6 September 2022, UK
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Mullan K, Caviglia-Harris JL, Santiago TMO, Sills EO, West TAP (2021) Disentangling the Sources of the Brazilian Miracle: The Impacts of Overlapping Policies on Deforestation in the Amazon. Oral presentation. Public Policy and Deforestation: A Global perspective. University of Surrey. 24-25 June 2021, UK (virtual)
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West TAP et al. (2020) Managing risk and uncertainty—portfolio analysis, case studies. Oral presentation. Forest Growers Conference. 13-15 October 2020, New Zealand (virtual)
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West TAP et al. (2020) Forestry investment portfolios under climate change and market uncertainties in New Zealand. Oral presentation. New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Conference. 26-28 August 2020, New Zealand (virtual)
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Mullan K, Caviglia-Harris JL, West TAP, Santiago TMO, Sills EO, Fonseca A (2020) Disentangling the contributions of conservation and development policies to sustainability in the Brazilian Amazon. Oral presentation. Effectiveness of forest management and conservation policies for protection of ecosystem services. 25th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. 25-27 June 2020, Berlin, Germany (virtual)
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West TAP, Wilson C, Vrachioli M, Grogan KA (2019) Carbon payments for extended rotations in forest plantations: Conflicting insights from a theoretical model. Oral presentation. Oceania Ecosystem Services Forum 2019. 2-6 September, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Caviglia-Harris JL, West TAP, Mullan K, Santiago TMO, Sills EO, Victor A (2018) Disentangling the sources of the Brazilian miracle: The impacts of policy on deforestation in the Amazon. Oral presentation, Session 1.C for the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists—Renewable Resources I. SEA 88th Annual Meetings. 18-20 November, Washington DC, USA
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Cisneros E, West TAP, Soares-Filho B, Börner J (2018) Beyond the sum of its parts: A counterfactual simulation of Brazil’s forest conservation recipe. Oral presentation. U4 SSEL Conference: "Building for sustainable development." Panel 1—Good Institutions for Sustainability Policies. 23-24 November, Göttingen, Germany
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Frey GP, West TAP, Hickler T, Rausch L, Gibbs HK, Börner J (2018) Simulated impacts of soy and infrastructure expansion in the Brazilian Amazon: A maximum entropy approach. Poster. 3rd International BioSC Symposium: "Towards an Integrated Bioeconomy." 12-13 November, Bonn, Germany
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West TAP (2016) Biomass and merchantable timber volumes twenty years after conventional and reduced-impact logging in Amazonian Brazil. Oral presentation. School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) Graduate Student Symposium. University of Florida. 16-17 March, Gainesville, FL, USA
Vidal E, West TAP, Putz, FE (2015) Long-term monitoring of the dynamics of forest managed for wood production and its potential to mitigate climate change. Poster. FAO's XIV World Forestry Congress. 7-11 September, Durban, South Africa
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West TAP (2015) Implications of REDD+ Governance: a case from the Brazilian Amazon. Poster. 64th Center for Latin American Studies Annual Conference: "Envisioning a Sustainable Tropics." University of Florida. 25-28 March, Gainesville, FL, USA [View Poster]
Romero C ... West TAP et al. (2013) Projecting the Future of REDD+ landscapes with agent-based modeling. Poster. Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) Annual Meeting: "New Frontiers in Tropical Biology: The Next 50 Years." 23-27 June, San José, Costa Rica
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Shenkin A, Roopsind A, Ruslandi, West TAP, Putz FE (2013) Post-Logging Biomass Recovery in Tropical Forests. Poster. Third International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Latin American Congress. 12-15 June, 2013, San José, Costa Rica. [View Poster]
Languages




Advanced English
Advanced Spanish
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Native Portuguese
Previous Appointments
2022
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2019–2021
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2018
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2018
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2011–2017
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2015
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2011
2006–2008
Short-term consultant – Consultancy
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Land Use Economics and Climate Team, Scion—New Zealand Forest Research Institute
Scientist
Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn
Senior Research Fellow
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Expert Reviewer for the Second Order Draft of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C
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Rainforest Alliance/Imaflora
Carbon offset project auditor – Consultancy
Natura
Project proposal reviewer for Natura's Carbon Neutral Program – Consultancy
Carbon Resource Science Center, University of Florida
Intern, USA – Internship
Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (CEPEA)
Research assistant, Brazil – Internship