CATIE Graduate Recognized as One of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Peru by Forbes

• Tatiana Espinosa, a forestry engineer and CATIE alumna, is recognized for her leadership in Amazon forest conservation and her commitment to gender equity.

Forestry engineer Tatiana Espinosa Quiñones, a graduate of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) from the 2007–2008 cohort of the International Master's Program in Tropical Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation, has been named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Peru in 2025” by Forbes Perú.

Espinosa is the CEO and founder of ARBIO Perú, an organization that has been protecting and managing 916 hectares of forest in Madre de Dios, deep in the Peruvian Amazon, for the past 15 years. ARBIO, led primarily by women, implements conservation strategies that connect people and companies with the study and protection of the Amazon rainforest.

On social media, the CATIE alumna shared an emotional message after receiving the award:

“There are still enormous gender gaps—especially outside Lima—but we continue forging a path with commitment, courage, and care.
Thanks to those who believe in this cause and to the women who inspire through their actions. True power is collective!”

From CATIE, Director General Dr. Luis Pocasangre extended congratulations to Espinosa: “We congratulate Tatiana for this well-deserved recognition, which is a source of pride for the entire CATIE community. Her work reflects the values we promote as an institution. We must continue to highlight and support our ambassadors—people like Tatiana who, through their example, contribute to the development and conservation of our territories.”

Likewise, Alfredo Zamarripa, Dean of the Graduate School, stated:

“From CATIE’s Graduate School, we extend our most sincere congratulations to Tatiana for this well-earned recognition. Her career and dedication are a testament to the impact our graduates can have in the region and the world.

Graduates of our master's and doctoral programs in Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, like Tatiana, inspire us to continue with our mission of training transformational leaders for Latin America and the Caribbean—leaders committed to sustainable development, equity, and environmental justice.

This recognition reaffirms CATIE’s commitment to educating professionals who lead with vision, ethics, and passion for a more just and sustainable future.”

With a career spanning more than a decade in forest conservation and sustainable management, Tatiana Espinosa has become a prominent voice in Amazon conservation, demonstrating how science, leadership, and collective action can transform realities and protect one of the planet’s most valuable ecosystems.