Mark Zimsky

Over the last 25 years, Mark has gathered worldwide experience developing national biodiversity strategies, designing biodiversity conservation projects for national, regional and global-level execution, and implementing sustainable agriculture, natural resources management, and conservation projects at the national and community level. He has practical experience in more than 30 countries, with field experience in Albania, Kenya and Mexico where he implemented community-level projects promoting sustainable natural resources management. He has worked for a wide variety of institutions including UNDP, UNEP, the US Peace Corps, and NGOs such as Ecology Action of the Mid-peninsula, and ACDI-VOCA. Prior to coming to the GEF in 2004, Markserved as the Senior Programme Officer for Biodiversity at UNEP/GEF. At the GEF Mark serves as the Biodiversity Focal Area Coordinator.  In addition, he is the Regional Coordinator for Latin America. 

Mark received a Master of Forest Science Degree from the Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1991. He was awarded a 2-year fellowship from the Echoing Green Foundation of New York in 1991 to support the implementation of a tree-planting and agroforestry project in Mexico. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1989. An avid climber and trekker, Mark hopes to summit all of Colorado's "Fourteeners" before his legs give out.