Advancing Coastal Wetlands Conservation

Inês Fernandes contributes to Pew’s advancing coastal wetlands conservation project, providing research and management support for a western Indian Ocean seagrass mapping project and providing policy support across the team’s portfolio. Before joining Pew, Fernandes worked at the National Audubon Society, where she managed and provided policy expertise to blue carbon and nature-based tourism projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. She also worked as a mangrove conservation policy consultant for Conservation International, as a Mozambique blue economy intern for Deltares NL, and as a consular officer at the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C. Fernandes holds a bachelor’s degree in law from NOVA School of Law in Portugal and a master’s degree in international development studies—with a focus on policy and ocean and coastal conservation—from The George Washington University.

Elizabeth Francis is a principal associate with Pew’s advancing coastal wetlands conservation project. She supports partner countries with identifying financing strategies and policy solutions to provide long-term protection for coastal wetlands. Before joining Pew, Francis worked as a blue carbon project and policy expert, collaborating with investors, project developers, and policymakers on identifying conditions that will enable coastal wetland conservation and restoration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marine science and policy from Quest University Canada and a master’s degree in international environmental policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and is pursuing a Ph.D. focused on marine science, policy, and finance at the University of Colorado.

Michael Latimer is a senior associate with Pew’s protecting coastal wetlands and coral reefs project. Previously, Latimer supported Pew’s crosscutting environmental policy team, providing expertise and leading coordination efforts to advance Pew’s engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as in multilateral forums, such as the Our Ocean Conference, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the U.N. General Assembly. Latimer holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, with a concentration in conservation, and a master’s in environmental management from George Mason University.