Dr. Cifuentes is a global change ecologist with almost 25 years of experience in research, technical assistance and policy development. He is the Blue Climate Senior Director at Conservation International, serves as Co-chair for the UN Global Ocean Decade Programme for Blue Carbon, and coordinates the International Blue Carbon Initiative Science Working Group (led by CI, IUCN, and IOC-UNESCO). He is a lead author of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, and has authored or co-authored of over 60 scientific and technical publications. Since 2011, he has spearheaded blue carbon science and promoted policy instruments across Central America and the Caribbean. He regularly offers technical support to governments across Latin America for developing and implementing climate action responses through blue carbon, green-gray infrastructure and sustainable landscapes. He has consulted for FAO, the World Bank, IDB, ECLAC, EUROCLIMA, UN-REDD, UNDP, GIZ, among many other global technical assistance platforms. He received his PhD in Environmental Sciences (with an Ecology Concentration) from Oregon State University.