As CSF's new BUILD Program Operations Manager, Irene Burgués Arrea has found herself traveling all over the world in order to promote biodiversity conservation through infrastructure best practices. From her native country of Costa Rica, to the forest of Uganda (with stops in Bolivia and Brazil in between), Irene is jumping right in.

Irene first developed her love for nature while spending every spare moment possible as a child at her grandparent's farm in Guanacaste, and it hasn't waned since. She received her BSc in Economics, Environment and Ecology from the University of York, and was recruited in 2004 by CSF to coordinate a program about Biodiversity and Infrastructure Integration in Mesoamerica. After she successfully managed this program to completion, she left CSF to start an organic farm project in her native Costa Rica.

It wasn't until 2011 that Irene found her place with CSF once again. Now occupying the position of BUILD Program Operations Manager, Irene is busy learning and transferring knowledge and tools about infrastructure development and conservation needs among her colleagues in the Albertine Rift, Andes and Amazon regions. She hopes the program will not only help protect nature, but also give those affected by infrastructure development a greater voice in the decision-making process. Her biggest challenge will be managing projects and courses across several continents and multiple timezones, all the while keeping her "good vibes" flowing between cultures.

We have no doubt that she will tackle the challenge with her characteristic enthusiasm, energy and underlying commitment to biodiversity protection.