
Rafael Mendoza
Conservation and development, land tenure, REDD+, indigenous communities. PhD in Anthropology.
Rafael Mendoza has extensive experience as an academic and practitioner in the Andean Amazon region, particularly in Peru and Ecuador. He has worked for The Coordinator Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin – COICA, The Nature Conservancy, and governmental institutions in the region. Rafael is also a resident lecturer at the School for Field Studies – SFS Amazon, and is currently teaching at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru – PUCP.
His experience and academic interests cover the South America highlands and lowlands and focus on three main themes: the intersection between conservation and development, land struggles in the Amazon basin, and the politics of climate change, REDD+, and indigenous federations. He has also collaborated as a consultant for COICA and WWF in designing community plans to access climate change funds.
Rafael holds a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Florida, and a Master’s degree in Socio Environmental Studies by FLACSO Ecuador.