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Carmen Revenga

Coastal Fisheries Strategy Lead, Global Provide Food & Water Team

Arlington, Virginia

Carmen Revenga headshot.

Carmen Revenga Carmen is a senior scientist at The Nature Conservancy, where she leads TNC's Coastal Fisheries Strategy. © Photo courtesy of Carmen Revenga.

AREA OF EXPERTISE

Sustainable Fisheries, Fisheries Management, Freshwater and Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems

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Rachel Winters
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Biography

Carmen Revenga is a senior scientist at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), where she leads TNC's Coastal Fisheries Strategy. Carmen has more than 20 years of experience working on linking science and policy to improve the management of marine fisheries and freshwater resources.

TNC’s vision is for global fisheries to be managed in a way that results in sustainable fisheries, stable supplies of seafood, thriving coastal communities and biodiversity conservation. To achieve this vision, Carmen leads TNC’s FishPath program, which, together with field teams and partners, encompasses a portfolio of projects that puts coastal fisheries on the path to sustainability.

As the co-principal investigator in the Data-Limited Fisheries Working Group under the auspices of the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP), she and her colleagues developed a comprehensive framework for guiding the assessment and management of data- and capacity-limited fisheries. This framework was the seed that developed into today’s FishPath program—a program that provides a unique structured approach and scientific method for moving fisheries along the path to sustainability. FishPath is currently being applied to fisheries in more than a dozen countries, and the FishPath Tool has more than 900 registered users. 

Between 2004 and 2009, when Carmen joined the Global Oceans Team, she was part of TNC's Central Science team, where she led and authored TNC's global assessment on the status and threats to freshwater ecosystems and marine fisheries, which were key contributions to The Atlas of Global Conservation (University of California Press, 2010).

She and her TNC co-authors compiled and developed an unprecedented number of global maps to describe the state of the natural world, which are available online. Before coming to TNC, she worked for the World Resources Institute, where she focused on developing indicators that helped assess the condition of and threats to freshwater and marine ecosystems. She also worked in translating science into policy measures to improve the management of fisheries and freshwater resources.

She has published a number of influential books, reports and papers relating to the condition of marine and inland fisheries and freshwater ecosystems, including the report titled Fishing for Answers: Making sense of the global fish crisis (WRI 2004), which was used as the basis for a Bill Moyer's PBS special feature on overfishing. She holds degrees in zoology and conservation biology from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain and the University of Maryland in the U.S.

She frequently speaks on fisheries and freshwater topics at national and international conferences and has been involved in multiple global assessments including the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the World Water Development Report and the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership.

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Publications

Visit Carmen's Google Scholar Profile for a full list of publications.

2017

Turak, E., Dudgeon, D., Harrison, I.J., Freyhof, J., Wever, A.D., Revenga, C., Garcia-Moreno, J., Abell, R., Culp, J.M., Lento, J., Mora, B., Hilarides, L. & Flink, S. (2017). Observations of Inland Water Biodiversity: Progress, Needs and Priorities. In: The GEO Handbook on Biodiversity Observation Networks. Springer, Cham, pp. 165–186.

Turak, E., Harrison, I., Dudgeon, D., Abell, R., Bush, A., Darwall, W., Finlayson, C.M., Ferrier, S., Freyhof, J., Hermoso, V., Juffe-Bignoli, D., Linke, S., Nel, J., Patricio, H.C., Pittock, J., Raghavan, R., Revenga, C., Simaika, J.P. & De Wever, A. (2017). Essential Biodiversity Variables for measuring change in global freshwater biodiversity. Biological Conservation, SI:Measures of biodiversity, 213, 272–279.

2016

Dowling, N., Wilson, J., Rudd, M., Babcock, E., Caillaux, M., Cope, J., Dougherty, D., Fujita, R., Gedamke, T., Gleason, M., Guttierrez, M., Hordyk, A., Maina, G., Mous, P., Ovando, D., Parma, A., Prince, J., Revenga, C., Rude, J., Szuwalski, C., Valencia, S. & Victor, S. (2016). FishPath: A Decision Support System for Assessing and Managing Data- and Capacity- Limited Fisheries. In: Assessing and Managing Data-Limited Fish Stocks (eds. Quinn II, T., Armstrong, J., Baker, M., Heifetz, J. & Witherell, D.). Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

McIntyre, P.B., Liermann, C.A.R. & Revenga, C. (2016). Linking freshwater fishery management to global food security and biodiversity conservation. PNAS, 113, 12880–12885.

2013

Boucher, T.M., Spalding, M. & Revenga, C. (2013). Role and trends of protected areas in conservation. In: Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (Second Edition). Academic Press, Waltham, pp. 485–503.

2012

McDonald, R.I., Olden, J.D., Opperman, J.J., Miller, W.M., Fargione, J., Revenga, C., Higgins, J.V. & Powell, J. (2012). Energy, Water and Fish: Biodiversity Impacts of Energy-Sector Water Demand in the United States Depend on Efficiency and Policy Measures. PLOS ONE, 7, e50219.

2011

Abell, R., Thieme, M., Ricketts, T.H., Olwero, N., Ng, R., Petry, P., Dinerstein, E., Revenga, C. & Hoekstra, J. (2011). Concordance of freshwater and terrestrial biodiversity. Conservation Letters, 4, 127–136.

Lehner, B., Liermann, C.R., Revenga, C., Vörösmarty, C., Fekete, B., Crouzet, P., Döll, P., Endejan, M., Frenken, K., Magome, J., Nilsson, C., Robertson, J.C., Rödel, R., Sindorf, N. & Wisser, D. (2011). High-resolution mapping of the world’s reservoirs and dams for sustainable river-flow management. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 9, 494–502.

McDonald, R.I., Douglas, I., Revenga, C., Hale, R., Grimm, N., Grönwall, J. & Fekete, B. (2011). Global Urban Growth and the Geography of Water Availability, Quality, and Delivery. AMBIO, 40, 437–446.

McDonald, R.I., Green, P., Balk, D., Fekete, B.M., Revenga, C., Todd, M. & Montgomery, M. (2011). Urban growth, climate change, and freshwater availability. PNAS, 108, 6312–6317.

2010

Hoekstra, J., Molnar, J.L., Jennings, M., Revenga, C., Spalding, M.D., Boucher, T.M., Robertson, J.C., Heibel, T.J. & Ellison, K. (2010). The atlas of global conservation: changes, challenges, and opportunities to make a difference. University of California Press, Oakland, CA.

Pereira, H.M., Leadley, P.W., Proença, V., Alkemade, R., Scharlemann, J.P.W., Fernandez-Manjarrés, J.F., Araújo, M.B., Balvanera, P., Biggs, R., Cheung, W.W.L., Chini, L., Cooper, H.D., Gilman, E.L., Guénette, S., Hurtt, G.C., Huntington, H.P., Mace, G.M., Oberdorff, T., Revenga, C., Rodrigues, P., Scholes, R.J., Sumaila, U.R. & Walpole, M. (2010). Scenarios for Global Biodiversity in the 21st Century. Science, 330, 1496–1501.

Richter, B., Sandra, P., Carmen, R., Thayer, S., Bernhard, L., Allegra, C. & Morgan, C. (2010). Lost in Development’s Shadow: The Downstream Human Consequences of Dams. Water Alternatives, 3.

Stiassny, M.L.J., Revenga, C. & Comer, P. (2010). Aquatic Ecosystems: Diversity and Dynamism. In: Fresh Water: The Essence of Life (eds. Mittermeier, C.G., Mittermeier, R.A., Farrell, T.A., Harrison, I.J., Upgren, A.J., Brooks, T.M. & Hoffmann, L.). Conservation International, Washington, D.C., pp. 90–117.

2009

Abell, R., Blanch, S., Revenga, C. & Thieme, M. (2009). Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems. In: Encyclopedia of Inland Waters (ed. Likens, G.E.). Academic Press, Oxford, pp. 249–258.

Walpole, M., Almond, R.E.A., Besançon, C., Butchart, S.H.M., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Carr, G.M., Collen, B., Collette, L., Davidson, N.C., Dulloo, E., Fazel, A.M., Galloway, J.N., Gill, M., Goverse, T., Hockings, M., Leaman, D.J., Morgan, D.H.W., Revenga, C., Rickwood, C.J., Schutyser, F., Simons, S., Stattersfield, A.J., Tyrrell, T.D., Vié, J.-C. & Zimsky, M. (2009). Tracking Progress Toward the 2010 Biodiversity Target and Beyond. Science, 325, 1503–1504.

2008

Abell, R., Thieme, M.L., Revenga, C., Bryer, M., Kottelat, M., Bogutskaya, N., Coad, B., Mandrak, N., Balderas, S.C., Bussing, W., Stiassny, M.L.J., Skelton, P., Allen, G.R., Unmack, P., Naseka, A., Ng, R., Sindorf, N., Robertson, J., Armijo, E., Higgins, J.V., Heibel, T.J., Wikramanayake, E., Olson, D., López, H.L., Reis, R.E., Lundberg, J.G., Sabaj Pérez, M.H. & Petry, P. (2008). Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Biogeographic Units for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation. BioScience, 58, 403–414.

Molnar, J.L., Gamboa, R.L., Revenga, C. & Spalding, M.D. (2008). Assessing the global threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 6, 485–492.

2006

Revenga, C. (2006). ¿Por qué deben preocuparnos los ecosistemas de agua dulce y su biodiversidad? Vanguardia Dossier, 80–90.

Watson, R., Revenga, C. & Kura, Y. (2006). Fishing gear associated with global marine catches: I. Database development. Fisheries Research, 79, 97–102.

Watson, R., Revenga, C. & Kura, Y. (2006). Fishing gear associated with global marine catches: II. Trends in trawling and dredging. Fisheries Research, 79, 103–111.

2005

Allan, J.D., Abell, R., Hogan, Z., Revenga, C., Taylor, B.W., Welcomme, R.L. & Winemiller, K. (2005). Overfishing of Inland Waters. BioScience, 55, 1041–1051.

Nilsson, C., Reidy, C.A., Dynesius, M. & Revenga, C. (2005). Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the World’s Large River Systems. Science, 308, 405–408.

Revenga, C. (2005). Developing indicators of ecosystem condition using geographic information systems and remote sensing. Reg Environ Change, 5, 205–214.

Revenga, C., Campbell, I., Abell, R., Villiers, P. de & Bryer, M. (2005). Prospects for monitoring freshwater ecosystems towards the 2010 targets. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 360, 397–413.

Vörösmarty, C.J., Douglas, E.M., Green, P.A. & Revenga, C. (2005). Geospatial Indicators of Emerging Water Stress: An Application to Africa. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 34, 230–236.

2004

Pielke, R.A., Sr., Vörösmarty, C.J., Brunner, J., Revenga, C., Fekete, B., Green, P., Kura, Y. & Thompson, K. (2004). Case Studies. In: Vegetation, Water, Humans and the Climate: A New Perspective on an Interactive System, Global Change - The IGBP Series (eds. Kabat, P., Claussen, M., Whitlock, S., Gash, J.H.C., Guenni, L.B. de, Meybeck, M., Pielke, R., Vörösmarty, C.J., Hutjes, R.W.A. & Lütkemeier, S.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg.

Smakhtin, V., Revenga, C. & Döll, P. (2004). A Pilot Global Assessment of Environmental Water Requirements and Scarcity. Water International, 29, 307–317.

Smakhtin, V.U., Revenga, C. & Doll, P. (2004). Taking into account environmental water requirements in global-scale water resources assessments (Report). International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Comprehensive Assessment Secretariat.

2001

Johnson, N., Revenga, C. & Echeverria, J. (2001). Managing Water for People and Nature. Science, 292, 1071–1072.

1996

Auclair, A.N.D., Lill, J.T. & Revenga, C. (1996). The role of climate variability and global warming in the dieback of Northern Hardwoods. Water Air Soil Pollut, 91, 163–186.