C (Carolina) Balian

I started my PhD in February 2022 at Wageningen University and Research, within the Farming Systems Ecology and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation groups. My research project focuses on sustainable beef production systems in Uruguay, the country were I was born. I am interested in the monetary valuation of ecosystem services and the assessment of sustainability certification schemes as instruments for the differentiation of systems that stand out in environmental performance.

I graduated from the University of the Republic of Uruguay, with a BSc in Economics (2015), and I have a postgraduate degree in Law and Economics of Climate Change from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (2017).

My expertise is in environmental economics and supporting agricultural policy-making. I worked as a technical specialist in economics of natural resources and climate change in the Office of Agricultural Planning and Policies of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay. I participated in the elaboration of the National Adaptation Plan for Agriculture and the National Bioeconomy Strategy, as well as in international climate change negotiations related to agriculture under the UNFCCC. I also worked at the United Nations Development Programme on the management of environment projects.