MEET THE TEAM
Committed Against Climate Change
Sonia Castañeda
Director
Ministry for Ecological Transition
Since 2012 she is the director of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition. The Foundation acts as a donor (collaborating with more than 250 projects per year) and as an agency implementing projects (mainly projects co-financed by European funds such as Life or ENPI). She joined the foundation in 2004 as International director. During this period, she creates and directs the Empleverde program and the Emprendeverde network. She was also responsible for the management of the European Social Fund, LIFE projects co-financed by the European Commission and international cooperation with Africa and Latin America.
Previously, she has worked on issues of environment and biodiversity conservation in consultancies and law firms and has collaborated with non-governmental organizations, in international development cooperation projects and in international forums. She has also been a professor in masters and courses; speaker at conferences and seminars and author of various articles related to environmental issues linked to the green economy and biodiversity.
Where are we? Today, climate change and biodiversity loss are the main threats we face for our own survival and the great challenges we face as humanity.Sonia Castañeda - Ministry for Ecological Transition
Biodiversity loss and climate change must be addressed together. Climate change is a major driver of biodiversity loss, while at the same time biodiversity and ecosystems services are vital in fighting climate change.Sonia Castañeda - Ministry for Ecological Transition
How do we get there? Nature based solutions can provide more than 30% of our climate solution by 2030. Examples of nature base solutions are: restoration of forests (to stabilize slopes and regulate wáter flows), diverse agroforestry systems, coastal defence from erosion and flooding through the restoration of mangroves and other coastal ecosystems. Sonia Castañeda - Ministry for Ecological Transition