Marina Cracco | Presentation

Marina Cracco is a transdisciplinary practitioner and researcher with training in biology, conservation biology and sustainable development, and evaluation. She has a Bachelor's degree (Licenciatura) in Biological Sciences from Universidad de la República (R.O. del Uruguay) and a Master's degree in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology from the University of Maryland (USA).

Her work and research experience have focused on, biodiversity, monitoring and evaluation of environmental projects, protected areas management evaluation, ecosystem-based approaches, and nature world heritage in NGOs (IUCN, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International) public (EPFL), private (Hornocker Wildlife Institute) and multilateral organizations (mainly the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility and Adaptation Fund). She has worked in South, Central and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and now, in Europe.

Her interests are in the interface between environment and evaluation. Especially, in using and developing tools and methods that can help society better evaluate conservation and environmental programs and projects with the goal to increase the evidence base for decision making, support project design, accountability, and learning.

Marina is a member of the Interdisciplinary Center for Mountain Research (CIRM UNIL), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) since 2006, and the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM). She was a member of the IUCN World Heritage Panel from 2016 to 2022.

At UNIL, she is a doctoral student at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability, under the supervision of Prof. Walters, working on the transdisciplinary research project ValPar.CH. She is also a research member of Prof. Walter's research group Landscapes & Societies.