CC (Carolina) Schäffer

I planted my first tree when I was one year old. At ten, I attended my first World Environmental Forum. By the age of 18, I had participated in numerous protests to raise awareness about the importance of nature. I am now pursuing a PhD, aiming to strengthen practice through science. I am a biologist with an MSc in botany from the University of Brasilia. For over a decade, I have developed and managed environmental conservation and ecological restoration projects in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. As director of Apremavi, a local NGO in Atalanta, I have helped lead initiatives that have planted more than 10.5 million native trees. My experience includes contributing to national environmental policy and restoration efforts as a councilor of the National Council for the Environment (CONAMA), a member of the Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest, and as president of the Brazilian Committee of the IUCN. As a PhD candidate, I aim to bridge research and on-the-ground work, ensuring that innovative scientific advances directly inform and improve restoration strategies for the Araucaria Forest, the most threatened forest type in the Atlantic Forest Hotspot.