About us
Vera Silva
I have been a staff scientist at Inpa since 1981 and head of the Laboratory of Aquatic Mammals - LMA, where my research emphasizes the biology and conservation of aquatic mammals. I earned my Ph.D. in Mammal Ecology and Reproduction at Cambridge University, England, and now coordinate the Amazon Aquatic Mammals Project. I am a founding partner of Ampa, of which I was President for four years and am currently Administrative Director.
Anselmo d'Affonseca
I graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia - UFBA, in 1992. I now work in the Department of Aquatic Biology and Limnology at Inpa as a clinician, especially with management of Amazonian manatees. My other passion is photographing birds, and I have a large photo archive much appreciated by ornithologists, including species rarely observed in the wild. I am a founding partner of Ampa and current President
Gisele Maciel
I have a degree in Biological Sciences from the Centro Universitário do Norte - UNINORTE (2010), a second degree in Environmental Management and Auditing from FAMETRO (2013), and a Masters in Biological Diversity from the Federal University of Amazonas - UFAM (2016 ). I am experienced in aquatic mammal conservation, environmental education, and vertebrate zoology with an emphasis on aquatic mammal morphology and osteology, working on the following topics: age determination, morphological variation and geometric morphometry.
Rita Mesquita
I have lived in the Amazon for 35 years and am a researcher at the National Institute for Amazon Research. I have a PhD in Ecology. I study natural forest regeneration and secondary forests. I have always been dedicated to nature conservation in the Amazon, especially to the management of protected areas and scientific dissemination.
Felipe Zanusso
I am a biologist and coordinate the Environmental Education project at Bosque da Ciência, one of the most important urban areas for visitation in the Amazon, administered by Inpa. I have a PhD in Environment and Society from Unicamp and I am dedicated to the subject of managing protected areas.