Our team and partners
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Dr John Akeroyd
Key Advisor, ADEPT
Key advisor on grasslands and their conservation management, John also leads botanical tours of the project area. He has carried out field research and lecturing across Europe, and has extensive knowledge of the flora of Greece, Balkans, Romania, Poland, Ireland and Britain. John was Member of Flora Europaea Editorial Committee (1988–1998) and is author of many scientific and popular publications.
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Denise Astoreca
El Boldo Reserve, Chile
Co-founder of Corporación Bosques de Zapallar, our project partner for Parque El Boldo, Chile. She was part of the board of Directors for over 10 years She is widely responsible for promoting and managing the reserve.
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Miguel Bailetti
Dry Forest Project, Peru
Miguel is the project and native plant nurseries coordinator for the Dry Forest Project in Peru.
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Peter Bennett
Executive Director and Founder
Following a career in business and a life long interest in wildlife, Peter founded Rainforest Concern in 1993. He is also a founding director of the Planet Foundation (Switzerland), founding director of the Carpathia Foundation (Romania) and trustee of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation (UK).
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Carolina Brown
Co-ordinator for Chile projects
Chilean author and photographer. Carolina manages Rainforest Concern's conservation projects in Chile. She liases with our project partners in Chile and communicates the projects to a wider audience.
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Mauricio Bustamante Holguín
Nebline Reserve, Ecuador
Director of Ecuadorian law firm Bustamante Holguín Abogados, Mauricio is Rainforest Concern's lawyer and legal representative in Ecuador, and brings his many years of experience and commitment across many aspects of law.
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Rebecca Cardwell
Administration and Communications
Rebecca joined the head office team in 2024. She has a Master's degree in Engaged Ecology from Schumacher College.
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Jorge Chipa
Dry Forest Project, Peru
Jorge is the supervisor for native plant nurseries at the dry forest conservation project with our project partners ANIA in Peru.
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Marco Cortés
Nasampulli Reserve, Chile
Marco is manager of the Nasampulli Reserve and responsible for its protection. Working with FORECOS foundation and the Universidad Austral de Chile, he focuses on ecology and restoration of the Araucaria forest relicts.
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Enrique Cruz
Nasampulli Reserve, Chile
Enrique is the executive Secretary of FORECOS foundation and with Marco Cortés coordinates the management of the Nasampulli reserve.
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José Cueva
Los Cedros, Ecuador
José is the co-ordinator of the Los Cedros Reserve. He helps coordinate Los Cedros Reserve, in particular the outreach work with communities and the long-term strategy of the Reserve. He has lived in the Intag area for many years and managed community projects and initiatives, including Rainforest Concern projects, for over 15 years.
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José DeCoux
Los Cedros, Ecuador
José is the co-founder and manager of the Los Cedros Reserve. He has been the driving force behind conservation at Los Cedros since he helped found it in the late 1980's. He has tirelessly worked to save this extremely important remnant of Chocó rainforest.
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Sonja Dillmann
Neblina Reserve, Ecuador
Sonja is the project manager of the Neblina Reserve. She has been Rainforest Concern's project co-ordinator in Ecuador since 2012 and manages the Reserve from co-ordinating the forest guards, to overseeing the purchase of threatened land.
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Carlos Fernandez
Urpiano Turtle project, Costa Rica
An environmental lawyer, Carlos Fernandez has worked with Rainforest Concern since 2007. First as our legal representative for Pacuare Reserve and now as manager of Urpiano turtle conservation project.
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Sarah Fraser
Consultant
Sarah joined Rainforest Concern in 2012, and now co-ordinates our Ecuador projects and handles grant proposals.
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Encar Garcia
Jaguar Rescue Centre, Costa Rica
After obtaining a degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona, Encar spent 15 years working with primates and mammals in various habitats, including 8 years at the renowned Barcelona Zoo. In 2001, Encar met Sandro Alviani in Costa Rica and together, they established the Jaguar Rescue Centre in 2008.
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Martin Gardner MBE
Trustee
Martin Gardner is the co-ordinator of the International Conifer Conservation Programme at the RBG Edinburgh. He also chairs the IUCN Conifer Specialist Group. Much of the focus of Martin's conservation work and research is on Chilean plants.
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Cristi Gherghiceanu
Executive president, ADEPT
With project co-ordination and financial control, Christi provides overall leadership of ADEPT, overseeing daily operations and ‘building organisational capacity’. Cristi graduated from Brasov University in IT, economics and accounting and has worked for rural development NGOs since 2000. He has been guide and translator for numerous World Bank missions, and speaks Romanian, English and German.
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Mariana Gómez Soto
Yaigoje Apaporis, Colombia
Coordinator of the AAA corridor project at our partner organization Gaia Amazonas, Mariana works with indigenous communities of the Colombian Amazon and with civil and governmental organizations.
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Javier Guerra
Rainforest Concern Carbon spatial analysis assessor
Javier is a Doctor in Forest Sciences from Universidad Austral de Chile and Universidad de Concepción. He is an expert in carbon measurements of aerial/root biomass and remote sensing, and he has supported Rainforest concern since 2016 with GIS Development in Nasampulli and other projects in Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Currently, he directs his GIS technology company Campodigital.
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Dr Paulina Hechenleitner
Dry Forest Project, Peru
Paulina is the project research leader coordinator for the Equatorial dry forests, Peru. Plant taxonomist with a PhD in systematics and biogeography, specialist in Chilean flora. Honorary Conservation Associate at the RBG Edinburgh, with a career in both botany and horticulture.
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Dr John Hemming CMG
Advisory Board
Highly respected and accomplished historian, author, publisher and Amazon conservationist. Dr John Hemming is a former Director of the Royal Geographical Society and a leading expert on Brazil's indigenous peoples. He was recently awarded the President's Medal by the British Academy for his histories about South America and work for its indigenous peoples.
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Francisco von Hildebrand
Yaigoje Apaporis, Colombia
Director of Gaia Amazonas, Francisco is an expert in local development strategies and intercultural environmental management.
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Dr Martín von Hildebrand
Yaigoje Apaporis, Colombia
Ethnologist, anthropologist and founder of our project partner Gaia Amazonas, Martín von Hildebrand's work to secure indigenous rights has led to more than 26 million hectares being officially returned to indigenous people in Colombia.
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Bárbara Barrera and Johnny Hurtado
Urpiano Turtle Project, Costa Rica
Bárbara and Johhny established the Urpiano beach protection project in Costa Rica in 2015. They are responsible for protection of the beach and monitoring nesting and hatching of leatherback turtles.
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Laly Joseph
Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, India
Senior plant conservationist at our partner organization Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, Laly specializes in the plant conservation of Asclepiadaceaea, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Balsaminaceae and Gesneriaceae.
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Suma Keloth
Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, India
Senior Plant Conservationist at our partner organization Gurukula Botanica Sanctuary, Suma specializes in Orchidaceae, Araceae, Zingiberaceae, carnivorous and ornamental plant species.
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Professor Antonio Lara
Advisory Board
Director and founder of our project partner Fundación FORECOS for the Nasampulli Reserve in Chile. Professor Lara at Universidad Austral de Chile specialises in documenting the ecology of native forests of Chile.
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Ben Mehedin
Food & farming communities manager, ADEPT
A graduate of Technical University, Lasi, in Chemical Cngineering with diplomas in marketing and rural business entrepreneurship. Ben has responsibility for farmer training and extension services, assisting farmers with access to funding and implementation of projects for small producers. He is also responsible for schools activities and local community relations. He speaks Romanian and English.
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Andrew Mitchell
Advisory Board
Andrew Mitchell is an international thought leader on natural capital finance and tropical forests. He is the founder of Equilibrium Futures and Senior Adviser to Oxford think tank, Global Canopy, which he founded in 2001. As Founder and Senior Adviser to the Natural Capital Finance Alliance, he helps design natural capital tools for banks, investors and insurers.
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Guillermo Morales
CBZ, Chile
President of the board of our partner organisation Corporación Bosque de Zapallar (CBZ) in Chile. He has been involved with El Boldo since it very beginning in 2010.
He is also the founding partner of the law firm Morales & Besa in Santiago. -
Maxime van Niewenhuyse
Trustee
A successful artist with a deep interest in wildlife conservation, Max has been a trustee of Rainforest Concern since 2007. During this time, Max has actively supported our work and has visited a number of projects.
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Alfonso Orellana-Garcia
Dry Forest Project, Peru
Botanical specialist, environmental consultant, management and establishment of conservation areas - Equatorial dry forests project with our partner ANIA in Peru.
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Nat Page
Trustee
Nat has been working in Romanian rural development since 1998 and is a director of ADEPT. After 15 years in H.M. Diplomatic Service, he now divides his time between managing his organic beef farm in southwest England and promoting conservation of the High Nature Value farmed landscapes of Romania.
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Manuela Peláez
Fundación TierrAmar, Colombia
Manuela is the founder and director of the Colombian organisation, Fundación TierrAmar which aims to address the lack of environmental education within rural schools across Colombia.
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Fiona Pérez
Consultant
Fiona has worked with Rainforest Concern since 1995, mostly in Ecuador, where she ran an ecotourism lodge before her role as Ecuador Project Manager for over 13 years. Fiona set up local partnerships and co-ordinated projects throughout the Choco Andean Corridor and the Amazon region, as well as setting up the Neblina Reserve in Intag. She’s currently helping Rainforest Concern as a consultant.
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Răzvan Popa
Technical director, ADEPT
Răzvan brings considerable expertise on sustainable development, agri-environment and biodiversity conservation, including farmer training and extension. A graduate of Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, in Ecology, he is currently engaged in a PhD in protected area management planning. He speaks Romanian, German and English.
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Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS
Advisory Board
Sir Ghillean Prance FRS FLS FRSB is a world renowned botanist and ecologist and has published extensively. He is a former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow and past President of the Linnean Society.
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Christoph & Barbara Promberger
Fundatia Conservation Carpathia, Romania
Founders of the Carpathia Conservation Foundation, Christoph and Barbara are wildlife biologists who have lived and worked in Romania for over 15 years. They have been directly responsible for protecting 21,000 hectares of Carpathian wilderness.
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Alberto Pulido Cruz
Trustee
A consultant of Chilean law firm Philippi, Prietocarrizosa & Uría, Alberto became a trustee of Rainforest Concern in 2011. The charity's Chilean projects have greatly benefited from Alberto's expertise.
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Carmen Rosa Ringeling
El Boldo Reserve, Chile
Carmen Rosa is the executive director of CBZ, our project partner for Parque El Boldo, which protects coastal Chilean habitat.
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Gabriel Rodríguez Correa
El Boldo Reserve, Chile
Gabriel has been working with Corporación Bosques de Zapallar from it's very beginnings as head of Parque El Boldo's trail network team. He is also in charge of maintenance and develops projects in other conservation areas.
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Sita Schutt
Trustee
Sita is delighted to join Rainforest Concern as a trustee having worked in the field of international development and private philanthropy for over 10 years. In 2007, she founded the charity Prospero World to create positive change through education, collaboration, and action.
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Suprabha Seshan
Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, India
Conservationist Suprabha Seshan manages restoration, education and outreach at GBS, Rainforest Concern's partner project. In 2006 she won UK’s top environmental prize, the Whitley Award.
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Jurgen Stein
Bosque de las Madres, Costa Rica
Jurgen is a founding member of the organisation Fundación Cuencas de Limón (FCL) which is working to protect and expand the Bosque de las Madres Biological Corridor. Jurgen also established the Selva Bananito ecolodge with his sister, Sofia, which has achieved world-wide recognition as an model for Costa Rican ecotourism.
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Sofia Stein
Bosque de las Madres, Costa Rica
Sofia is the Executive Director of our project partner Fundación Cuencas de Limón, which was established as a non-profit organisation in 1996. Sofia also established the Selva Bananito ecolodge with her brother, Jurgen, which has achieved world-wide recognition as an model for Costa Rican ecotourism.
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Catriona Syed
Trustee
Senior partner of international law firm Charles Russel Speechlys, Catriona is an expert in charity law and has been a trustee of Rainforest Concern since its establishment in 1993.
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Oliver Whaley
Trustee
Ecologist, botanist, illustrator and naturalist. With 25 years at RBG Kew and valuable experience gained in Peru and Andean countries, Oliver has focused on conservation through sustainable use, agriculture and restoration.
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Megan Witty
Corporate Fundraiser
Megan began her career as a researcher on live children's and wildlife programmes at Thames Television and then as a Producer/Director, filming wildlife and conservation stories around the world. For the last 10 years, Megan has created and produced a wide range of high profile creative events.
Megan joined the Rainforest Concern team in 2020 as a Corporate Fundraiser. -
Carlos Zorrilla
DECOIN, Ecuador
Carlos Zorilla has dedicated his life to protecting Ecuadorian cloud forests and in particular fighting against the ongoing threat of mining. He is the founder of the environmental organisation DECOIN, which conserves the unique biodiversity of the Intag region.
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Verónica Zuñiga
Dry Forest Project, Peru
Botanist, researcher on the flora and vegetation of Lambayeque at our partner organization ANIA for the Equatorial dry forests protection project.
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Helen Brown
Schools Coordinator
Helen worked in the head office from 1997 - 2003. She is now back after a 20 year break!
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Xavier Tobin
Biologist
Xavier has worked in the field for multiple National Geographic-sponsored research/conservation projects with arapaima, black caiman, pink dolphin, tucuxi, various tree species etc. A big cat enthusiast, Xavier obsessively studied and memorised the spot patterns and territories of forty of the Pantanal's jaguars whilst working in the field there for six months in 2023.