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Francisco Souza

Francisco Souza

Biography

Francisco is a member of the Apurinã Indigenous People from the Brazilian Amazon. With over 30 years of experience on areas related to forest and biodiversity conservation, climate change, sustainable finance, nature-based solutions, Francisco has managed and led programs and projects in 40+ countries led by, for, and together with Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC) worldwide. He is the former Managing Director of the FSC Indigenous Foundation where he promoted partnerships with IPLC organizations engaged to support rights, development, and Indigenous-based solutions territory for 1.2 billion hectares of community landscapes in the planet. He collaborated with different international organizations including Hivos, WWF, Rainforest Alliance, IADB, IDRC, private foundations, and governments. Francisco served as member of the IPLC Advisory Panel with Emergent for the LEAF Coalition’s and he is currently a member of the governing board for the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM). Francisco is an economist with Ph.D. in Environmental Science and master’s degree in Tropical Conservation and Development.