Georgina PEREIRA

Georgie is a desert ecologist based out of the United Arab Emirates. She specializes in mycology, fungal conservation, and environmental education. She leads the IUCN SSC Centre for Species Survival Fungi based at Terra, Expo City Dubai. As part of the Centre, she spearheads initiatives such as developing the UAE’s first fungi dataset and the Middle Eastern Fungal Database, while also supporting global fungal red list assessments. Her work bridges research, policy, and public engagement, with a strong focus on arid land fungi, ethnomycology, and nature-based solutions for climate resilience. At Terra, she designs educational programs, citizen science events and conservation workshops to support urban biodiversity. With a background in both environmental law and biodiversity conservation, and a passion for science communication, she integrates conservation strategy with storytelling to raise the profile of fungi in biodiversity planning.