Maria Ana BORGES

Biography

Maria Ana has worked in IUCN since 2008, starting in the Global Business and Biodiversity Programme where she was responsible for managing corporate engagements with companies in the cement and aggregates, agriculture and tourism sectors. More recently, in 2018, Maria Ana joined the IUCN Water & Wetlands team as the Water for Landscapes Manager. Through her role, she drives learning and innovation on the deployment of effective and inclusive water management strategies in productive landscapes. She is also involved in implementing IUCN’s work on corporate water stewardship, supporting businesses to develop strategies for biodiversity management within their operations and become ecosystem stewards in the basins where they operate. Prior to IUCN, Maria Ana worked at UN Environment’s Economics and Trade Branch on issues at the interface of trade and climate change. She has also previously worked in the tourism sector, both in Portugal and in Dominican Republic. Her academic background is in Ecology (BSc (Honours) from the University of Edinburgh) and Ecotourism (MSc from Napier University). 

Speaking at

Harnessing Rivers for Peace and Prosperity: Cooperative Approaches to Resource Governance

Oct 10 2025 (12:00 - 13:00)

Room: IUCN Asia Pavilion
Harnessing Rivers for Peace and Prosperity: Cooperative Approaches to Resource Governance
Women in water: voices of change transforming water governance across local, regional, and global scales

Oct 11 2025 (11:00 - 12:00)

Room: Virtual Channel 5
Women in water: voices of change transforming water governance across local, regional, and global scales
Nature-based Solutions for Water: practical strategies and lessons from the private sector

Oct 11 2025 (14:00 - 16:00)

Room: Conference Hall B: Session Room 9
Nature-based Solutions for Water: practical strategies and lessons from the private sector
Water without borders: from reliance to resilience

Oct 11 2025 (16:00 - 16:40)

Room: CS-Nature-Climate-People Nexus
Water without borders: from reliance to resilience
Water without borders: from reliance to resilience

Oct 11 2025 (16:00 - 16:40)

Room: CS-Nature-Climate-People Nexus
Water without borders: from reliance to resilience
Catalysing Freshwater Ecosystems: The Role of Business

Oct 11 2025 (18:00 - 19:00)

Room: IUCN Business Pavilion
Catalysing Freshwater Ecosystems: The Role of Business
A Global Strategy for Conserving Freshwater Biodiversity

Oct 12 2025 (11:00 - 12:30)

Room: Conference Hall A: Session Room 4
A Global Strategy for Conserving Freshwater Biodiversity
Shared Waters, Shared Futures: Advancing Transboundary Water Cooperation to secure sustainable development, livelihoods and peace

Oct 12 2025 (15:00 - 16:00)

Room: IUCN Programme 2026-2029 Pavilion - R2
Shared Waters, Shared Futures: Advancing Transboundary Water Cooperation to secure sustainable development, livelihoods and peace