Edwin Castellanos

Edwin holds a B.S. from Universidad de Valle de Guatemala, an M.S. in chemistry from Michigan St. University and a Ph.D. in environmental science from Indiana University. Edwin joined TNC’s team in 2022 after 24 years of continuous work in research and education in Guatemala and Mesoamerica in the areas of climate change and management of natural resources, with a special focus on freshwater and forests. He is the coordinating lead author in the IPCC 6th Assessment Report’s chapter on vulnerability and adaptation for Central and South America.

Edwin served as director of the Sustainable Economic Observatory and of the Center for Environmental Studies and Biodiversity at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, where he is now a visiting researcher. He was a member of the External Advisory Council for World Wildlife Fund Latin America and has been lead researcher on multiple projects at national and regional levels on climate change adaptation by rural and Indigenous communities. His research also includes studying the causes of deforestation and associated carbon emissions, as part of REDD+ initiatives. He is the author or co-author of more than 50 scientific publications on these topics.