Cesar (César) is passionate about the environment, conservation, and wildlife. He grew up on the outskirts of the São Paulo megalopolis, southeastern Brazil. Having lived in Portugal, the United States, and now in Canada has given him a broad view of different realities, ways of life, and experiences.
Cesar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Campinas (Brazil) and the University of Coimbra (Portugal), earned through a dual-degree program. He did an internship at the United States Geological Survey at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre, studying interspecific competition and ecological resilience. Back in Brazil, he worked as a wildlife guide at an ecolodge in the southern Amazon forest, leading visitors to observe monkeys, macaws, giant river otters, and hundreds of colorful birds.
In 2017, Cesar moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in Ecology at the University of Alberta, focusing on climate change impacts on songbirds and climate resiliency of boreal forests. Before joining Ecotrust Canada, he worked as an analyst for the Government of British Columbia, providing technical and policy support and guidance for biologists across the province.
Cesar believes that love, compassion, and respect for the environment are key to our existence on Mother Earth. His courage to face complex challenges is a major driver for him to effect change. Cesar is excited to join Ecotrust Canada, applying his technical expertise to empower the Climate Resilience program and meet communities while working on the ground.
You can find Cesar building things for his goats and horse, or swimming, his main passion. Cesar is happy to be growing roots in beautiful Fanny Bay, south of the Comox Valley, on Vancouver Island, in the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, traditional keepers of the “land of plenty.”