Marco A. Quesada Alpízar, Ph.D.
Dr. Marco Quesada Alpízar specializes in marine conservation, marine policy, and fisheries policy and management.
Marco has been involved in the creation of Costa Rica’s largest marine protected area through the Costa Rica program, as well as designing and implementing policies for Costa Rica’s National Maritime Enforcement Strategy.
Marco Quesada is director of Conservation International’s Costa Rica program, which focuses on marine and coastal conservation. He represents the organization at the supervisory committees of three national trust funds: the first US-Costa Rica debt for nature swap (now called Savia); the Sustainable Biodiversity Fund and the Osa Fund. Marco earned his Ph.D. in marine affairs, focusing on fisheries policy and management, from the University of Rhode Island. In addition to his work at Conservation International, Marco is an invited professor at Universidad de Costa Rica and the University for Peace. In his free time, he enjoys reading, photography, running, going to the beach and hiking.
Selected scientific papers
Murphy, S.E., G. Farmer, L. Katz, S. Troëng, S. Henderson, M.V. Erdmann, C. Corrigan, B. Gold, C. Lavoie, M. Quesada, M.C. Díazgranados Cadelo, A.G. Guzmán Mora, E. Nunez, A. Montebon, S. Meo, S. Waqainabete-Tuisese, G. Dutra, R. Pereira, M. Mongdong, K.S. Putra.2021. Fifteen years of lessons from the Seascape approach: A framework for improving ocean management at scale. Conservation Science and Practice 3(6): 1-16.
Wagner, D., L. van der Meer, M. Gorny, J. Sellanes, C.F. Gaymer, E.H. Soto, E.E. Easton, A.M. Friedlander, D.J. Lindsay, T.N. Molodtsova, B. Boteler, C. Durussel, K.M. Gjerde, D. Currie, M. Gianni, C.M. Brooks, M.J. Shiple, T. ‘A. Wilhelm, M. Quesada, T. Thomas, P.K. Dunstan, N.A. Clark, L.A. Villanueva, R.L.Pyle, M.R. Clark, S.E. Georgian, L.E. Morgan. 2021. The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges: A review of the importance, opportunities and challenges for protecting a global diversity hotspot on the high seas. Marine Policy 126: 1-13.
Alvarado, C., Chaves, X., Guevara, A.L., Quesada, M. 2012. Informe. Comisión Presidencial para la Gobernanza Marina. Presidencia de la República de Costa Rica. San José, 20 de diciembre de 2012.
Quesada, M. 2011. Community Participation and Fisheries Management: Rhetoric vs three real-world contexts. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Rhode Island, RI.
Karrer L, Beldia II P, Dennison B, Dominici A, Dutra G, English C, Gunawan T, Hastings J, Katz L, Kelty R, McField M, Nunez E, Obura D, Ortiz F, Quesada M, Sivo L, and Stone G (2011) Science-to-Action Guidebook. Science and Knowledge Division, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, USA. www.science2action.org
Quesada, M., J. Cortés, A. Fonseca & J.J. Alvarado. 2007. Características hidrográficas y biológicas de la zona marino costera del Área de Conservación Osa. Serie Técnica: Apoyando los esfuerzos en el manejo y protección de la biodiversidad tropical. The Nature Conservancy. San José, Costa Rica, 80 pp.
Quesada, M.A. & J. Cortés Núñez. 2006. Los ecosistemas marinos del Pacífico sur de Costa Rica: estado del conocimiento y perspectivas de manejo. Int. J. Tropical Biology 54 (Suppl. 1): 101-145.