Louis Verchot

Is a Principal Scientist, Leader of the Land Restoration Group at CIAT and Mitigate+. He works on forestry and agriculture issues with a climate change focus. He co-leads the SERVIR-Amazonia initiative bringing NASA satellite technology to Amazonian decision-makers to help them address deforestation, drought, fire, and economic development. His group also works in the highlands of Kenya and Ethiopia to restore productivity to degraded landscapes and raise the standard of living of rural farmers.

Louis has worked with the IPCC since 2003 and was a lead author on the landmark 2019 special report on Climate Change and Land. He has also worked on reports related to wetlands and national greenhouse gas inventories. Louis leads an effort to improve transparency and national reporting to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Before joining CIAT in 2016, Louis was the Director of Forests and Environment at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and has previously lived and worked in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Brazil, Kenya and Indonesia.