André Aquino

André Aquino is the Head of the Economics and Environment Office at Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change which aims to redirect financial flows to environmental priorities. He coordinated Brazil’s G20 Presidency for the environment agenda in 2024. He was the National Director for Forest Development at the Brazilian Forest Service, responsible for promoting sustainable management of Brazil’s forests and large-scale restoration of native vegetation, and for managing Brazil’s forest information system including the national forest inventory. Prior to the Brazilian government, André Aquino worked for almost 20 years at the World Bank. His last position was Program Leader for Sustainable Development in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he coordinated the agriculture, environment, social inclusion, urban and water sectors, with a portfolio adding up to over US$5 billion. In Indonesia, he also coordinated Indonesia’s Environment portfolio, including the landscapes / forests and oceans programs. Previously, André was based in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Washington DC with different positions within the World Bank. André has over 20 years of international experience in natural resources management and environmental issues, including forestry (natural forests management and forest plantation), biodiversity (protected areas and wildlife management), ecosystem services (particularly carbon finance and biodiversity conservation finance), climate change
mitigation an adaptation, oceans, coastal management and fisheries, land management and administration, nature-based tourism, and rural development promotion, particularly access to rural finance and rural infrastructure. His work has mostly focused on the interaction between rural communities and renewable natural resources (forests, wildlife, fisheries), seeking mechanisms to ensure benefits flow to local communities and national economies to incentivize conservation and restoration of renewable natural resources. This has included promoting payments for ecosystem services including for REDD+, nature-based tourism investments, public-private-community partnerships, promoting integrated landscape management. André holds a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Economics from the University of Maryland (USA), an Executive Program Diploma in Forestry from the University of Yale (USA), an Environmental Law post-graduate degree from the University of Pará (Brazil) and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). André has published several articles on issues related to the economics of and institutions for natural resources management and participated in high-level events.