John Bohorquez is an interdisciplinary marine conservation scientist and conservation finance practitioner with expertise spanning conservation finance and economics, marine protected areas, coral reef conservation, climate change resilience, and fisheries. He provides research and advisory support to UN agencies, universities, NGOs, and foundations.
He is the founding director of the Blue Economy Solutions Lab, and holds appointments as an Adjunct Assistant Professor with Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Stony Brook University's School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences. He is also a research afilliate with the Conservation Finance Alliance. Recent and ongoing collaborations have included development of an MPA finance facility with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, the One Ocean Finance Facility with the UN Capital Development Fund and partners, international coordination for coral reef conservation with Stony Brook and the New York Climate Exchange, and research on global MPA finance with the Blue Nature Alliance.
John previously worked in international fisheries conservation with The Ocean Foundation in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts working on research and implementation for sustainable fishing policies with regional fishery management organizations. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship and Ph.D. at Stony Brook University where his research included MPA finance in Latin America and the Caribbean, the policy and ecology of marine protected areas in China, the ecosystem service value of shellfish aquaculture in the New York metro area, and ecosystem restoration along Long Island's coastline.
Prior to entering academia, John worked in finance within the renewable energy and commercial real estate space, performing acquisitions as well as asset management and advisory duties for multiple firms. He holds a bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College where he majored in Economics and Environmental Studies and minored in Earth & Oceanographic Sciences.
John serves on committees and advisory panels with several environmental organizations including IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Duke University, The Economist magazine, and The Explorers Club. He is a U.S. and Colombian citizen who spends his time between Colombia, New York, and Maine. Outside of work, he loves soccer, writing, and the outdoors as an avid skier, hiker, sea-kayaker, and SCUBA diver.