Miguel CLÜSENER-GODT, German, graduated in 1985 in Biology on ‘Mangrove Ecology along the West Coast of South America’ at the University of Bielefeld, Germany.
In 1989, he obtained his Ph. D. on ‘Statistical Analysis on the Relationship between Nutrients, Plants and Soils in the Natural Vegetation at a Global Scale’, at the University of Osnabrück, Germany.
In 1990, he started his career as Assistant Programme Specialist at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
In 2009, he obtained the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Pará, Belém, Brazil, for “Intense work and contribution for the institutional development of the University and the Centre for Advanced Amazonian Studies during more than 16 years.”
In 2018, he was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of the Kingdom of Spain.
From 2017 to 2021, he served as UNESCO’s Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences and Secretary of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB), and, at the same time the Secretary of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Programme (UGGP).
As of 2021, he is a Senior Research Associate at the UNESCO Chair on Biodiversity Safeguard for Sustainable Development, Life Sciences Department, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
In March 2022, he became a Professor at the Yokohama National University, Division of Natural Environment and Information, Faculty of Environment and Information Sciences.
In March 2023, he obtained the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Yokohama National University, for “Substantial contribution to the creation of the UNESCO Chair on Education in Biosphere Reserves for Sustainable Development.”