Acre Program Coordinator
Elsa Mendoza is as a researcher and coordinator at Earth Innovation Institute (EII) in Acre. Elsa studied Forest Engineering and graduated with a master's degree in Ecology and Natural Resources Management, and a specialization in Fire Ecology and Tropical Forests. She is currently pursuing a PhD at INPA/UFAC. Elsa has worked for over 22 years in the Southwestern Amazon in the field of conservation and environmental management including 15 years in the role of Acre State coordinator at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) where she developed activities on the susceptibility of the Amazon to fire and monitored accidental fires in the region. Mendoza was one of the founders of the MAP Initiative (Madre de Dios/Peru, Acre/Brazil, and Pando/Bolivia) - a base network formed in 1999 to integrate science and civil society through diverse activities including public forums to discuss policy in the Southwestern Amazon as a response to infrastructure development in region. Mendoza has extensive experience in working with local and regional governments and diverse communities in the Southwestern Amazon. She is currently supporting the State System of Incentives for Environmental Services (SISA), and the Program of Incentives for Environmental Services (ISA Carbon) of the Acre State Government Climate Change Institute (IMC), representing the Earth Innovation Institute, as well as activities related to GCF in the Southwestern Amazon region.