Gund Institute for Environment

Bernardo Aguilar

Gund Affiliate, Executive Director, Fundación Neotrópica

Bernardo Aguilar-González is the Executive Director of Fundación Neotrópica, one of the strongest promoters among environmental NGOs in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean of Ecological Economics. In this capacity Bernardo has led abundant applied research and technical work in the areas of environmental damage and ecosystem service valuation, ecological conflict analysis, narco related environmental degradation, environmental space and ecological debt.

Bernardo is currently a board member of RECOPE, the Costa Rican public company in charge of the importation and distribution of fossil fuels. He joined this board in order to support its transformation into a promoter of renewable resource-based fuels in tune with Costa Rica's National Decarbonization Plan. This public policy was a major factor for the country to receive the honor of a "Champions of the Earth" award, granted by the United Nations in 2019.

Bernardo Aguilar-González is an environmental advisor to the Mesoamerican Ecological Ecclesiastical Network (REMAM), a network created to support the regional application of the Integral Ecology perspective proposed by Pope Francis. Aside from being a Gund Global Affiliate, Bernardo´s academic affiliations include the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security at the Jefford´s Center in the University of Vermont and the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University.

Bernardo was the President of the Mesoamerican and Caribbean Society for Ecological Economics (2010-2018) and a board member of the International Society for Ecological Economics (2018-19). The U.S. Society for Ecological Economics created in 2003 the Bernardo Aguilar award to honor the faculty that inspire students to undertake Ecological Economics as a field of study. Bernardo has received official recognition for extraordinary work, providing pro bono technical work in a landmark case on ecological damage valuation, for Costa Rica at the International Court of Justice of The Hague from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica.

Publications

Aguilar-González, B.; Cerdán, P., Kocian, M. & Aguilar-Umaña, A. (2017) Impactos de la Narco-deforestación sobre las Áreas Protegidas en Centro América: Una Aproximación desde la Economía Ecológica Crítica (Impacts of Narco-deforestation on Protected Areas in Central America: A Critical Ecological Economics Approach). In: Azamar, A.; Escobar, D.; Peniche, S. Perspectivas de la economía ecológica en el nuevo siglo. Guadalajara, México: Universidad de Guadalajara, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de México, Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo, Fondo Editorial Universitario, Sociedad Mesoamericana y del Caribe de Economía Ecológica, pp. 241-271. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324209617_Impactos_de_la_Narco-deforestacion_sobre_las_Areas_Protegidas_en_Centroamerica_Una_Aproximacion_desde_la_Economia_Ecologica_Critica
Aguilar-González, B.; Navas, G.; Brun, C.; Aguilar-Umaña, A. (2018) Socio-ecological distribution conflicts in the mining sector in Guatemala (2005–2013): Deep rooted injustice and weak environmental governance. The Extractive Industries and Society. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2018.02.002.
Wrathall, D., Devine, J., Aguilar-González, B., et al. (2020). The Impacts of cocaine-trafficking on conservation governance in Central America. Global Environmental Change 63.URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102098
Sepúlveda-Machado, M. & Aguilar-González, B. (2015) Significance of blue carbon in ecological aquaculture in the context of interrelated issues: A case study of Costa Rica. In: S. Mustafa & R. Shapawi, edits. Aquaculture Ecosystems. Adaptability and Sustainability. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 182-242. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295405413_Significance_of_blue_carbon_in_ecological_aquaculture_in_the_context_of_interrelated_issues_A_case_study_of_Costa_Rica.
Muradian, R., Arsel, M., Pellegrini, L., Adaman, F., Aguilar, B., et al. (2013) Payments for ecosystem services and the fatal attraction of win-win solutions. Conservation Letters. Vol 6: 4, pp. 274-279. URL: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00309.x

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Environmental damage and ecosystem service valuation, ecological conflict analysis, narco related environmental degradation, environmental space and ecological debt

Education

PhD, Environmental Management and Culture, Natural Sciences for Development Program, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica - Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica - Universidad Estatal a Distancia, Costa Rica;
MS, Agricultural and Applied Economics, The University of Georgia
Specialist, Agrarian and Environmental Law, University of Costa Rica
Juris Doctor, University of Costa Rica

CV

Bernardo Aguilar. CV.pdf

Contact

Email:

baguilar@neotropica.org

Website(s):