Leonardo Garcia is a Costa Rican biologist with over 20 years of experience in environmental sustainability issues and projects. He holds a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development and another in Business Administration.
Leonardo joined Forever Costa Rica Association in 2013 to manage the II Debt-for-Nature Swap between the governments of Costa Rica and the United States, a program aimed at financing and implementing biodiversity conservation projects in terrestrial protected areas. In this position, for 9 years, he directly supervised more than 200 projects on a wide range of topics such as effective management, control and surveillance, ecological monitoring, sustainable tourism, community development, sustainable infrastructure, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and bio-literacy.
In early 2022, Leonardo began coordinating the BRIDGE project, financed by the French Facility for the Global Environment (FFEM). This initiative aims to engage the private sector and members of RedLAC and CAFÉ (Consortium of African Funds for the Environment) in biodiversity conservation efforts in Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean through innovative financial mechanisms. To this end, it implements various programs and activities focused on the practical institutional strengthening of these conservation trust funds through seed financing, exchanges and mentorships, working groups and knowledge management.
