I have worked as a researcher and advocate for tropical forest conservation and traditional forest peoples for over 30 years. I have worked on these issues with Greenpeace, the Humane Society of the United States, Amazon Watch, and the Environmental Investigation Agency. I received a PhD in Ecology from Penn State University based on my studies about the ecology, management and marketing of non-timber forest products in a indigenous reserve in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. I am the founder and executive director of the Center for Amazon Community Ecology (www.amazonecology.org) which works with 15 native and campesino communities in the northern Peruvian Amazon to promote forest conservation, sustainable livelihoods and healthy communities. Our main projects are developing and marketing value-added non-timber forest products including innovative handicrafts and novel essential oils (from copal resin and rosewood leaves) with our partners. We have enjoyed a growing collaboration with Camino Verde on essential oils and other projects.