Pope Francis appointed a specialist in the Amazon at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican reported Monday.
This is the Brazilian biologist Virgilio Mauricio Viana, 60, general superintendent of the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS).
Viana, a graduate in evolutionary biology from Harvard University, is known for his studies in climate change, forest management and environmental protection.
He was president, among other positions, of the Brazilian Society of Ethnobiology and Ethnoecology, as well as president of the São Paulo Association of Florestal Engineers.
He is also part of the commission of experts on covid-19 of the scientific journal The Lancet.
He has published several books and numerous articles on the Amazon, climate change, forest management, agroforestry and environmental protection.
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences was founded by John Paul II in 1994 with the aim of promoting the study and progress of the social sciences and providing the Church with elements for the development of its social doctrine.
The Academy organizes conferences and workshops and encourages scientific research.
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