Leonardo has extensive experience in conservation economics and sustainability, with several projects in Latin America related to protected areas, biodiversity, land use, natural resources, roads and tourism. Leo joined CSF-Brazil in 2005 after attaining his Master of Science degree in Conservation Biology from DICE at the University of Kent in England, where he researched natural resource economics and management. He also has an MBA in Strategic Business Management from UNA/MG and an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Before joining CSF, Leo worked as a researcher for the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute in the Brazilian Amazon and for UFRGS, and with ecotourism enterprises in the Pantanal Wetlands and in the Mamirauá Reserve. Leo first came to CSF as a participant in the 2003 Brazil course. He is a native of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil, and speaks english and spanish.