MAB Secretariat

Antonio Abreu (Portugal) was appointed Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences in the Natural Sciences Sector of UNESCO and Secretary of the MAB Programme in April 2023.  

Mr Abreu holds a biology degree from the University of Lisbon and a PhD in in marine biology from the University of Madeira, Portugal. Prior to his appointment, since June 2022, Mr Abreu held the position of Representative of Portugal and Vice-President of UNESCO's International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere programme (MAB-ICC). He was also Researcher and Manager of the UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity and Conservation for Sustainable Development at the University of Coimbra in Portugal since 2020. 

In addition, he was a member of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) since 2017, Vice-Chairperson of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC Network), based in The Hague, Netherlands since 2012, adviser to the government of the Autonomous Region of Principe in Sao Tome and Principe since 2010, member of the National Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development in Lisbon, Portugal since 1998, and regularly undertakes academic and scientific activities at various universities in Portugal and abroad.