Mr Laercio Couto

President, RENABIO, Brazil

Brazilian, married, 64, born in Tocantins, Minas Gerais, Brazil; B. Sc. in Forestry (Universidade Federal de Vicosa, Brazil, 1964-1967); M. Sc. in Forestry (Universidade Federal de Vicosa, Brazil, 1975-1977); Ph.D. in Forestry (University of Toronto, Canada, 1977-82); Pos-doctorate in Forestry and Agroforestry Colorado State University, USA, 1993-1994); retired in February 2003 as a Full Professor of the Department of Forestry of the Universidade Federal de Vicosa being actually an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Toronto and a visiting researcher at NIPE – UNICAMP, Brazil. President and Chairman of three NGOs: the Brazilian Center for Nature Conservancy and Sustainable Development – CBCN, the Brazilian Society of Agroforestry – SBAG and, the Brazilian Network of Biomass for Energy – RENABIO; A Forest Consultant for , AFORTECH, TECFLORA, ESA, BRAZIL TIMBER, COMAPI, SUZANO, REPLANTAR, ERB AND COTRENE, ; Director of Forest Strategy of GMR Reflorestamento; Coordinator of the Agroforestry Research Group of the National Research Council-CNPq; Ad-hoc Research Consultant of CNPq, Embrapa and FINEP; Member of the Editorial Board of the Canadian Forestry Chronicle; Former Brazilian Team Leader, Task 30 of IEA – Bioenergy; Field experience as Forest Engineer (1968- 1975) in several forest companies in Brazil. Worked in Sao Paulo, Paraná, Bahia and Pará states, mainly with Pinus sp, Eucalyptus sp, Araucaria angustifolia, Coccus nucifera and Gmelina arborea in the following áreas: seedling production, forest plantations establishment and tending, harvesting and transportation, forest protection and forest products commercialization. Advised several M. Sc. (16) and Ph.D. theses (10) in silviculture, forest management, biomass for energy and agroforestry at the Federal University of Viçosa. Published more than 100 scientific papers and made several technical and academic presentations in Brazil and other countries. Was an international consultant for the Brazilian Agency for International Cooperation – ABC (forestry and environment) in Chile and all countries of Central América; for GAPCO in Guinea and Gutchess International Incorporated (1994-1998) in Brazil, this last one resulting in the installation of the biggest and most modern eucalypt based sawmill of the world, located in Bahia state (today ARACRUZ Wood Products). Was the head of the Department of Forestry of the Federal University of Vicosa (1989-1993); Administrative Director of the Society for Forest Research – SIF (1989-1993); Research Director of the Society for Forest Research – SIF (1996-2002).