National Geographic Explorer-Correspondent Mireya Mayor Joins Amazon Conservation Team

National Geographic explorer, anthropologist, and conservationist, Mireya Mayor, is joining the Amazon Conservation Team to help communicate news of vital projects and expand global awareness about the plight of the Amazon region, the nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving South American rainforests said in a news statement today.

 

“Dr. Mayor will be lending her expertise, as both scientist and communicator, to advance ACT’s social and media outreach, helping to ensure the future of the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people,” said the Arlington, Virginia-based organization.

 

“I’ve watched ACT achieve incredible results and help protect rainforests and indigenous cultures in an effective and cost-effective way that no other organization has been able to accomplish,” Mayor said. “As ACT celebrates it 20th year anniversary, it is high time more people were aware of this amazing organization and helped support its mission.”

 

Mayor is a primatologist, anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer. She has more than a decade of scientific fieldwork and conservation related research to her name and is credited with the discovery of the world’s smallest primate while exploring Madagascar. This discovery and Mayor’s research enabled her to persuade the Prime Minister of Madagascar to create a new national park.

 

“ I can think of no one with a better skill set to help us achieve our admittedly lofty goals, said Mark Plotkin, President and co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team. “Mireya has a unique background as a biologist and bicultural American who has carried out successful field work in some of the planet’s most challenging locales: the forests and rainforests of the Virunga volcanoes in east Africa, the island of Madagascar, and the northeast Amazon. Furthermore, she has impeccable scientific and media credentials and a stellar track record as an inspirational communicator.”