Tasso Azevedo is a Brazilian leader in forest governance, sustainability, and climate change, recognised for building innovative institutions and data-driven platforms that advance conservation and climate action. He is the founder and General Coordinator of MapBiomas, a collaborative network of more than 100 organisations dedicated to monitoring land use and supporting conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources.
Azevedo began his career in the 1990s by developing sustainable production chains in the Amazon. He founded Imaflora, an organisation that pioneered certification standards for forest and agricultural products, helping to lay the groundwork for sustainable forest management in Brazil. From 2003 to 2009, Azevedo served as Chief of the Brazilian Forest Service and Secretary of the National Forest Commission. During this period, he drafted key legislation regulating forest resources and led the creation of the Brazilian Forest Service. His leadership was instrumental in the establishment of the Amazon Fund, now the world’s largest forest conservation fund, demonstrating that forest protection can be both environmentally and economically strategic.
In 2010, Azevedo returned to civil society to launch two landmark open-data initiatives: the Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals Estimation System (SEEG) and MapBiomas. These platforms provide high-quality, transparent data on greenhouse gas emissions and land-use change, enabling governments, businesses, and communities to make informed decisions and drive climate action. SEEG has since been replicated in countries including Peru and India, and the MapBiomas network has expanded beyond South America.
Azevedo serves on the boards of several organisations, including the Business Forum on Climate Change, Rainforest Alliance, Imazon, Imaflora, and IEMA. He is a Visiting Scholar at Princeton University and a recipient of multiple international honours, including Ashoka Senior Fellow (2021), Skoll Award (2022), Schwab Foundation Collective Impact Award (2023), and the TED Audacious Award (2024).
