Sonia Español-Jiménez

Executive Director of MERI Foundation (Chile and Spain)

A marine biologist with a solid commitment to the effective conservation of ecosystems focusing on the mitigation of climate change and sustainable development.

A graduate in Sea Sciences from the University of Cádiz, she is also a Master of Renewable Energies and holds a Ph.D in Marine Biology from Chile's Universidad Austral; Sonia specialises in sea mammals, chiefly in the identification, distribution and behaviour of whales through the sounds they make. She was creator and director of The Blue BOAT Initiative to reduce the threats of noise and collisions among cetaceans, through regulation of maritime traffic.

At MERI Foundation she has run projects to boost scientific research and environmental education throughout Chile, in order to protect species such as the high Andean flamingo, the condor in the Central Valley, and whales in Northern Patagonia.

After living in Chile for 10 years, she returned to Spain to continue to combine public/private sector efforts to find solutions for the climate crisis.