Forestry, Carbon, and Renewable Energy Company.

Founders

Gonzalo Castro de la Mata V., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO

Gonzalo Castro de la Mata V, Chairman and co-founder of Ecosystem Services LLC, is a recognized international figure in the environmental field with senior experience leading international organizations and scientific and environmental business.

Until 2008 he was the Managing Director for the Americas with SFM Ltd., where he was responsible for seminal investments that generated some of the earliest carbon offsets from plantations and REDD anywhere in the world. Before than he was the Head of Biodiversity at the GEF, the largest multilateral environmental fund globally where he was ultimately responsible for a portfolio of over 500 projects with a combined value of US $4 billion in 150 countries. Previously, he was the Principal Environmental Specialist at the World Bank, a key player in the establishment of the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Found, the US$ 150 million initiative to protect the earth’s ecological hotspots, Director of WWF’s Latin Americas, Research Associate at Colorado State University, and an Assistant Professor of Biology at Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru.

Ph. D. in Ecology (University of Pennsylvania), Executive Management for Non-Profits (Harvard), Ms.C. in Biophysics (Cayetano Heredia University), B.SC. (Cayetano Heredia University).

He is the Director of several companies in Peru and the US and a Member of the Steering Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, and Land Use (AFOLU) of the VCS.

Luis Augusto Ducassi H., Director

Luis Augusto Ducassi, co-founder of Ecosystem Services, LLC, is a businessman specialized in environmental topics with vast international academic and work experience who previously served as advisor in large-scale alternative energy projects. Until 2008 he was part of the Carbon Finance Unit at the World Bank, a pioneer and leading entity in the development of the Carbon Market, where he was ultimately responsible for a portfolio of over 100 CDM projects with a combined investment of US$ 600 million in more than 50 countries.

Previously, he worked at the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coordination at Latin America, the largest multilateral environmental fund at the global level, where he was responsible for providing financial analysis for protected area projects and for designing trust funds to support long-term sustainability of environmental service projects.

M.B.A (INSEAD), Business and Economics (Pacifico University).

 

Energy Advisors

Alberto Boza, Senior Advisor, Renewable Energy

Alberto Boza is a Senior Advisor in Renewable Energy, and co-founder and Director of ES’ partially-owned subsidiary Hidroelectricas Asociadas del Peru. Alberto Bozo is a seasoned entrepreneur, having been involved in large energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and transportation projects in Peru. He has been the Director of numerous private companies in Peru.

Mr. Boza holds a degree in Engineering from Universidad Nacional Agraria, Lima.

 

Enrique Cox, Senior Advisor, Renewable Energy

Enrique Cox is a Senior Advisor in Renewable Energy, and co-founder and Director of ES’ partally-owned subsidiary Hidroelectricas Asociadas del Peru. Enrique Cox has extensive experience directing major infrastructure projects including roads, power generation, and mass transit. He has participated in the development and/or supervision of several hydropower plants in Peru including Chaglla, San Gaban, and Carhuaquero. He has been a Director of several private and public companies in Peru, as well as regulatory entities.

Mr. Cox holds a degree in Civil Engineering (Universidad Nacional de Ingerieria, Lima), and an MBA from IESA (Caracas).

 

Carbon and Forestry Team

Giancarlo Raschio, Program Director

Giancarlo Raschio has expertise on environmental impact assessment, carbon project cycle as well as corporate sustainability strategies. Giancarlo recently served as an advisor for the Peruvian Mission at the United Nations on climate change and sustainable development issues. He has practical experience on technical and social aspects or REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) initiatives at national and project level in South America and Africa.

As a researcher, he indentified and assessed potential obstacles and bottlenecks at community, governmental and private levels for REDD+ projects in Ghana and Peru. He also proposed policy recommendations to improve the development of the R-PPs (REDD+ Readiness Preparation Proposals), and to enhance their implementation efficiency in both countries.

Giancarlo holds an M.SC. in Environmental Management from Yale University in USA, a second M.SC. in Environmental Sciences from the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina of Peru, and a B.Sc. in environmental Engineering from the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Peru.

Erasmo Otarola, Principal Forestry Advisor and Team Leader

Mr. Otarola has more than 17 years of professional experience dedicated to the design and implementation of development and environmental project. With emphasis in biodiversity conservation, tropical forestry management, environmental services (carbon and hydrological services), and participatory research in Peru and Costa Rica. Mr. Otarola has been in charge of pioneering research efforts on carbon capture and storage of various Amazonian ecosystems, and has led the design and implementation of the REDD baselines for the Departments of San Martin and the central Amazonian region of Peru.

He has substantial experience leading international cooperation projects from various sources including ITTO, USAID, the European Union, and the Belgian cooperation. He has been environmental project coordinator of the European Union in Peru. He designed and led the REDD and Forestry programs of WWF in Peru.

Mr. Otarola has degrees in environmental engineering at the Universidad Nacional Agraia La Molina; a M.Sc. in integrated Natural Resources Management at the Centro Agronomico de Investigacin y Ensenaza (CATIE) in Costa Rica, and is a PH.D. Candidate in Environmental Sciences and Ecosystem Services at the Universidad de Trujillo (Peru).

Leonel Mello, Senior Policy Advisor, Carbon and Forests

Until recently Mr. Mello was responsible for origination of new business, consultancy, and project development of carbon forestry (PDD) for Ecosecurities in Brazil. Mr. Mello has experience in climate change, agriculture and AFOLU, and has skills for leadership of multidisciplinary groups. Mr. Mello has expertise in Brazilian climate issues related to AFOLU and REDD, existing and emerging carbon markets (compliance and voluntary), emissions trading schemes, and forestry carbon feasibility assessments. Mr Mello has also been active in structuring partnerships, and has designed project finance structures in order to make projects capable to be accomplished.

Mr. Mello has been project manager of a variety of projects, and has acquired experience to deal with multi-stakeholders interests. He has worked with small community reforestation projects, where an education component was developed in partnership with public schools. Also working in large scale agricultural areas where international corporations operate, Mr. Mello has managing projects to implement ARR and REDD carbon projects. It includes activities from feasibility assessment, origination, implementation and commercialization.

Mr. Mello is fluent in English and Portuguese, and has working knowledge of Spanish. He has a M.Sc. degree from La Trobe University in Australia and from the Federal University of Parana (Brazil), and a B.Sc. from Santa Ursula University (Brazil).