Rita Mesquita

Rita de Cássia Guimarães Mesquita holds a degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), a master’s degree in Biology (Ecology) from the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), and a PhD in Ecosystem Ecology from the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia. She is a researcher at the National Institute for Amazonian Research and a career civil servant at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). She has experience in the field of Ecology, with an emphasis on the management of degraded areas, working mainly on the following topics: secondary vegetation dynamics, rural and urban forest fragmentation, forest regeneration and agroforestry systems, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management. She currently serves as the National Secretary for Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.