Maria de Lourdes “Malu” Nunes is the executive director of Fundação O Boticário de Proteção à Natureza (O Boticário Foundation for Nature Protection), a not-for-profit that focuses on preserving Brazil’s natural eco-systems.
She has worked for the foundation since 1991, when she implemented its first sponsored projects in Brazil. Since then, she has participated in several O Boticário project teams related to internal and external communications, quality and social responsibility and the creation of the “Boti” relationship club, which focuses on children’s and nature issues
Ms. Nunes is also a representative and Board member of other institutions: Rede Nacional Pró Unidades de Conservação (Protected Areas National Association) an association of people and institutions that defend natural protected areas; Centro de Ação Voluntária de Curitiba (Volunteering Center of Curitiba), a nonprofit which promotes volunteering in 150 social institutions in the city of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; and, Instituto Rã Bugio (Rã Bugio Institute) a nonprofit organization which defends Atlantic Forests remnants in South Brazil. Moreover, she is the Brazilian representative in ARCA – Aliança para a Conservação do Ambiente da Latino América e Caribe (Environmental Conservation Alliance for Latin America and the Caribbean), whose mission is to enforce the law and to promote regional agreements between countries in order to achieve biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
She holds a degree in Forest Engineering from the Federal University of Paraná and a master degree in nature conservancy.
Created in 1990, O Boticário Foundation’s mission is to promote and to perform nature conservation actions that guarantee life on Earth. The Foundation’s actions are recognized throughout Brazil. Through its large number of partnerships, it assists institutions and researchers with preserving natural areas, saving animals and plants threatened with extinction and raising conservation awareness