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WWF Experts
Margaret Symington
Priority Leader Amazon
Education
- PhD - Biology, Princeton University
- MS - Biology, Princeton University
- BA - Biology, Yale University
Areas of Expertise
- Ecology and evolutionary biology
- Biodiversity conservation
- Tropical forest ecology and conservation
- Primate ecology and behavior
- Amazon
- Latin America
"Seeking solutions that benefit all of nature -- animals, people and the places where they live -- is the hallmark of WWF's success in the Amazon."
About Margaret Symington:
Meg applies 25 years of experience to her role at WWF, where she has worked since 1990. Before joining WWF Meg served as an environmental advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Her experience spans conservation and natural resource management projects for forest and freshwater ecosystems in most countries of Latin America.
Meg's journey to the Amazon began in a backyard creek where she spent summers chasing bullfrogs. Her love of nature led her to pursue a career in conservation and ultimately to the Amazon. While earning her PhD, she carried out the first long-term field study of the black spider monkey in the Peruvian Amazon. 27 months in "beautiful, untouched forest" she says, made her realize that she wanted to stay focused on Latin America and "conserve the Amazon so it will be there for my grandchildren."
While progress is being made, Meg has some aggressive goals for the next decade. Topping the list is maintaining the health of the region by significantly reducing the amount of deforestation taking place. Time is of the essence she says, because "4 to 7 percent of today's global emissions come from the carbon dioxide released as a result of deforestation in the Amazon."
