Brigitte Luis Guillermo Baptiste, (born Luis Guillermo Baptiste October 23, 1963) is a Colombian cultural landscape ecologist and an expert on environmental issues and

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

in Colombia. She is a member of the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel of the Intergovernmental Science and Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and has been part of the national representation to the

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, IAI, is an intergovernmental organization supported by 19 countries in the Americas, dedicated to pursuing the principles of scientific excellence, international cooperation, and the full and ...

. She served as director of the

Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute The Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute ( es, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt), sometimes referred to as IAVH, is an independent non-regulatory research institute of the Exe ...

from 2011 until 2019. In September 2019, Baptiste became the director o
Universidad Ean
She considers that queerness and ecology are linked together.

Education

Baptiste studied biology at the

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Societ ...

, where she graduated with a thesis on the ecology of fishing in Araracuara,

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

. As a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

from 1992 to 1994, she completed a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in tropical

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

and development studies at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. Her thesis focused on forest management by rural communities in Boyacá Andes, Colombia. She continued her graduate studies as part of the Russell Train Program of the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

(WWF) at the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; , es, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; UAB), is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. ...

, in Environmental Sciences (Ecological Economics and Natural Resource Management) in 2000. Her dissertation is titled, "The concept of main ecological structure (EEP in spanish) and its potential as environmental management tool for biodiversity".

Professional life

Brigitte Baptiste has had a long career in both

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and academic spheres. As a student in 1982, she co-founded the environmental nonprofit Corporación Grupo Ecológico GEA, which she would later serve as director from 1984 to 1991. From 1991 to 1996, she served as a professor in the Institute of Environmental Studies and Development (IDEADE) at Pontifical University, during which she edited Ambiente y Desarrollo (IDEADE-PUJ). After 1996, she coordinated the Program for Biodiversity Use and Valuation at the Humboldt Institute and consulted for numerous nonprofits, including WWF Colombia. She returned to Pontifical University from 2002 to 2009 to teach and research as an assistant professor. She served as the director of the Humboldt Institute from 2011 to 2019. As director, Baptiste represented Colombia's scientific authority to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

) and Subsidiary Body of Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice ( SBSTTA). She serves on the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (

IPBES The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an intergovernmental organization established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It ...

) as a member of its Global Panel of 25 experts (MEP) on behalf of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and the Caribbean (2015–2017). There, she co-chairs working groups on

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

and

Local Knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous peoples, indigenous, or Local community, local communities. According to t ...

, as well as on Policy Tools and Methodologies. She is also a member of the IAI's Science Policy Advisory Committee (Inter-American Environmental Initiative for Global Change) and the scientific committee of the global program PECS (Ecosystem Change and Society). She was a prominent voice advocating for a peace deal in the

Colombian Civil War There have been several Colombian Civil Wars in Colombian history: *War of the Supremes (1839–1841) *Colombian Civil War of 1851 *Colombian Civil War of 1854 *Colombian Civil War (1860–1862) *Colombian Civil War of 1876 *Colombian Civil War (188 ...

. Baptiste became director of Universidad Ean in September 2019. In addition to her academic pursuits, Brigitte Baptiste was featured in an episode of "Taboo" by

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

Latin America. She is also a

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

in the economic newspaper La República. Her life was portraited in the book "Brigitte Baptiste: un homenaje ilustrado" (Brigitte Baptiste: an illustrated tribute, in Spanish).

Personal life

Baptiste is married to Adriana Vásquez. Together they have two daughters, Candelaria and Juana Pasión.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baptiste, Brigitte 1963 births Living people Pontifical Xavierian University alumni Colombian LGBT politicians Colombian transgender women Politicians from Bogotá Transgender women politicians Transgender scientists Transgender academics 21st-century Colombian LGBT people Fulbright alumni

Education

Professional life

Personal life

Further reading

References

External links