John Bohorquez is an interdisciplinary marine conservation scientist and expert consultant to the United Nations, NGOs, foundations, universities, and other research institutions. Through his consulting practice, the Blue Economy Solutions Lab (BESL), he advises on conservation and biodiversity finance, marine protected areas (MPAs), fisheries sustainability, and other subjects related to the blue economy. Alongside his consulting work, John holds academic and research affiliations at Duke University, Stony Brook University, and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.
Examples of recent and ongoing collaborations include advancement of Ocean Accounts with the Bigelow Lab, design of a marine protected area finance facility with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund and Blue Nature Alliance, financial structuring for the One Ocean Finance Facility, and transboundary coral reef conservation with Stony Brook and the New York Climate Exchange.
Earlier in his career, John worked in international fisheries conservation with The Ocean Foundation, in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts, on sustainable fishing policy with regional fisheries management organizations. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship and PhD 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 graduate school, 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 has served 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), and The Economist magazine. 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.