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ProfileAbout

About

Mangrove Ecologist  &  Blue Carbon Specialist  ·  Dubai
Guilherme Abuchahla kayaking with the Abu Dhabi skyline behind
Bio

A mangrove ecologist who has followed the tide across all oceans.

I am a mangrove ecologist and blue carbon project specialist currently based in Dubai. I completed my doctorate in ecology with the Mangrove Ecology Group at ZMT in Bremen, after a Master of Science in Environmental Management in Kiel and a degree in biological sciences in São Paulo.

My work spans the full arc of coastal science: from field restoration and survey programs across four continents, to doctoral research on how mangroves connect to the land, to the development of blue carbon and peatland projects under different carbon standards. I co-edited the Springer reference volume Brazilian Mangroves and Salt Marshes.

I now work as an environmental consultant on mangrove conservation strategy and coastal impact assessment across the MENA region. I work in six languages, and I am open to research positions and collaborations in mangrove science, blue carbon projects, and coastal restoration.

Beyond fieldwork, I have visited mangroves across more than 40 countries and territories.

Experience
Now

Environmental Consultant

Nature for Environmental & Agricultural Solutions · Abu Dhabi, UAE · EIA for large-scale coastal island development

Now

Senior Technical Programme Manager

Goumbook / MENA Oceans · Dubai, UAE · Stakeholder mapping, workshops, MENA mangrove conservation strategy

21-25

Senior Nature-based Solutions Specialist

EcoSecurities Group · Blue carbon & peatland project development, Verra and Gold Standard

17-23

Co-editor

Springer Nature · Curation, author management, review

11-17

Researcher, Mangrove Ecology

Biota / FAPESP · São Paulo, Brazil

10-16

Researcher, Mangrove Ecology

ReBentos network · Brazil

14-15

Invited lecturer, Benthic Autotrophs

Universidade de São Paulo (USP) · Theory, field, and lab

2012

Lecturer

Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie · Aquatic ecology, environmental management, EIA, limnology, climate change

2012

Subproject coordinator, “Amazônia Contada”

Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie · Amazonian community stories told through children

2009

Mangrove expert

Dos Palmas Island Resort & Spa · Puting Buhangin Island restoration plan, Palawan, Philippines

2009

Marine Mammals Observer

GeoPacific · Maranhão, Brazil · Behaviour monitoring and environmental compliance

2006

Marine Mammals Observer

La Compagnie Générale de Géophysique (CGG) · Rio de Janeiro & Espírito Santo, Brazil

03-09

Lecturer & internship coordinator

Centro de Estudos de Biologia Marinha (ARGOS) · Ubatuba, Brazil

Education
2025

Doctorate in Ecology

Mangrove Ecology Group, ZMT / Universität Bremen · Germany

2009

MSc, Environmental Management

Ökologie-Zentrum, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel · Germany

2005

BSc & Teaching License, Biological Sciences

Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie · São Paulo, Brazil

Other experience
Soon

Columnist & illustrator

SEVENSEAS Media · Writing and illustrating on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), indigenous knowledge systems, and the cosmologies and lifeways tied to mangroves worldwide

Now

Invited Lecturer, Blue Carbon

Universidade do Carbono · MBA in NbS: Carbon Market and Projects

23-now

Co-founder

Rede Apoena

04-now

Collaborator & researcher

Instituto BiomaBrasil (IBB) · Mangrove research, structure surveys, and analysis

2021

Author & illustrator

“Scarlet and the Mangroves”, a children’s story on mangrove conservation · Once Upon a Time Initiative

19-21

PhD representative, Section E (Environmental Sciences)

Leibniz PhD Network · Coordination, policy, and event organisation across Leibniz institutions, Germany

19-20

Diversity Spokesperson

Leibniz PhD Network · Germany

11-12

Academic consultant

São Paulo State Prosecutor’s Office · Environmental Impact Valuation Working Group

2008

Volunteer

OMCAR · Hydrological restoration, mangrove planting, and social surveys, Tamil Nadu, India

2006

President, Brazilian Researchers & Students association

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel · Germany

03-05

Research intern

Laboratório de Ecologia de Meiofauna, Instituto Oceanográfico, USP · Samples from Santos, Baía de Todos os Santos, and Antarctica

2005

Vice-president, student association

Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie · Organised the XXII Science Symposium (96 talks, 24 workshops, 18 minicourses)

Languages
PortugueseEnglishGermanSpanishDutchFrenchItalian
Affiliations & collaborators

Institutions, networks, and organisations I have worked with, learned from, or been supported by over the years.

Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency Centro de Biologia Marinha da Universidade de São Paulo (CEBIMAR USP) Centro de Estudos de Biologia Marinha (ARGOS) Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Conservation International Brazil (CI-Brazil) Dos Palmas Island Resort and Spa Ecoresolve EcoSecurities Sàrl Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. Fugro-Geoteam AS Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Goumbook FZE Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) Instituto BiomaBrasil (IBB) Instituto de Energia e Ambiente da Universidade de São Paulo (IEE USP) Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (IO USP) International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) IUCN Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund Leibniz PhD Network Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung (ZMT) Mangrove Action Project (MAP) Ministério Público do Estado de São Paulo (MPSP) Nature for Environmental and Agricultural Solutions Organização dos Pesquisadores e Estudantes Brasileiros na Alemanha (OPEBA-SH) Organization for Marine Conservation, Awareness and Research (OMCAR Foundation) Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) Planning in a liquid world with tropical stakes (PADDLE Project) Plataforma Brasileira de Biodiversidade e Serviços Ecossistêmicos (BPBES) Rede Apoena SEVENSEASMEDIA Singaporean National Parks Board (NParks) The Mitsubishi Foundation The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie Universität Bremen Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) Viridien (formerly Compagnie Générale de Géophysique) Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften der Universität Bremen (MARUM)
Contact
abuchahla@gmail.com