1. Andrew Mitchell is an environmental thought leader on tropical forests and climate change with four
decades of experience of managing international finance and conservation projects across 30 countries.
He is currently Founder Director of one of the world’s leading think tanks on forest policy and
management of the impacts and dependencies of supply chains linked to climate change and
deforestation. He is a respected NGO leader and a high-level adviser to governments, the corporate
sector and financial sector. He is a widely recognised and entertaining public speaker and conference
moderator and panellist. His global experience has been used to:
• Recommend policy among governments, the corporate sector and the financial sector on risks
and opportunities related to natural capital loss and restoration.
• Advise companies on reputational, regulatory and materiality risks linked to climate, food, and
water security and how to mitigate them.
• Engage banks, investors and insurers on natural capital risks and opportunities and the
development of practical tools and approaches for managing them.
• Propose designs to investors for sustainable finance mechanisms, such as Tropical Landscape
Green Bonds.
• Offer guidance to donors (philanthropists, foundations and governments) regarding
sustainable use of their funds and investments to meet their sustainability objectives.
• Develop creative thinking among NGO’s from grass roots communities, to large international
organisations, on innovation and collaboration in product development to achieve their mission.
• Inspire leadership among the general public and conference participants through his skills as
communicator with a wealth of thought provoking experience from the global front line on these
issues - from exploring the rainforest canopy, to climate campaigns and getting natural capital
into a Bloomberg terminal.
Skills and Experience:
Communications and Thought Leadership
• Co-Founder and Director of the Natural Capital Declaration & Roadmap for the Financial Sector now the
world’s largest initiative engaging banks, investors and the insurance sectors taking financial capital
considerations into their future investments and lending. http//:www.naturalcapitaldeclaration.org
• Extensive engagement with UN Policy making frameworks related to climate change and biodiversity loss
since 2007. Ten years in the UNFCCC negotiations advocating for the REDD+ mechanism to Reduce
Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in developing countries. http//:www.theReddDesk.org
• In 2015, launched Forest 500, the world’s first ‘rainforest ratings agency’. High-level engagement with
governments, corporations and the financial sector at CEO level in Europe, the US, Latin America and
Indonesia on policy development related to deforestation free value chains. http://
• Originator and Special Adviser to The Princes’ Rainforests Project with HRH The Prince of Wales.
• Originator and Chairman of the Forest Footprint Disclosure project, engaging 750 companies worldwide
backed by 200+ investors managing $19 trillion in assets; merged with CDP in 2014.
Development and Management of International Finance and Conservation Programmes
• Managed Global Canopy Program (GCP) from start-up to £3million+ turnover; now a respected
international think tank employing 25+ people focused on science, policy, business and finance related to
deforestation.
• Programme oversight of the Unlocking Forest Finance project in Brazil and Peru and the Natural Capital
Declaration’s work in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia and South Africa.
• Program oversight and management of 130 Earthwatch field research and education projects in 40
countries, $11 million annual budget for field research.
• Pioneered the use of light-weight aerial walkways for scientific research in forest canopies in 4 countries.
• Co-ordinating science, community and adventure field programmes for 4000 young people on two round-
the-world youth development projects: Operation Drake, and Operation Raleigh
• Extensive field experience in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Fundraising
• Lead roles in foundation, corporate sponsorship and governmental grant giving. Secured single gifts of €4
million for GCP and $5.5 million for Earthwatch Institute.

2. Speaking, publishing, writing, broadcasting
• Wrote and presented two series for BBC Radio 4 and hosted Channel 4 TV series Odyssey. Co-producer on
three major TV series on natural history.
• Author of ‘The Enchanted Canopy’ and seven other books, scientific papers and many articles for
newspapers and magazines.
Employment Experience:
2016 - Now Founder Director, Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, UK
2001 - 15 Executive Director, Global Canopy Programme
1997 - 01 VP Program Development & International Relations, Earthwatch Institute, Boston, USA.
1990 - 96 Co-founder & Deputy Director, Earthwatch (Europe), Oxford.
1989 - 90 Marketing Director (trainee) Earthwatch, Boston USA
1986 - 88 Producer, BBC Science and Features Unit & BBC Natural History Unit
1981 - 85 Freelance science writer / researcher / broadcaster.
1975 - 80 Scientific Co-ordinator, Scientific Exploration Society, London
1974 Research Assistant, Tsavo Research Project, Kenya
Fellowships & Awards
2009 Ashoka Trust (ATREE) Achievements in Canopy Ecology Award
2002/5 Rufford Fellow In Environmental Understanding, Green College, University of Oxford
2002/9 Hon. Research Associate, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
2001 Visiting Scientist – Oxford Forestry Institute, University of Oxford
1990 Sir Peter Morris Conservation Book Prize (finalist) – A Fragile Paradise
1982 Children’s Book of the Year (runner up) – The Young Naturalist
1978 Explorers Club of New York – Primates of Borneo, Research Award
1977-Now Fellow – The Royal Geographical Society, London
Board Memberships
Advisor Tropical Forest Alliance: Finance Initiative & Strategy Steering Cttee, World Economic Forum
Advisor REDD+ Academy, UN REDD Programme, Switzerland
Chairman Forest Footprint Disclosure Steering Committee [2009 - 2014]
Chairman The Scientific Exploration Society, United Kingdom
Trustee Orangutan Foundation, United Kingdom
Board International Canopy Network, USA
Chairman Cheetah Conservation Fund (UK) [Emeritus]

3. Publications
(Full updated list available upon request)
Books
1981 Operation Drake: Voyage of Discovery, Severn House.
1982 Reaching the Rainforest Roof UN Environment Program
1982 The Young Naturalist, Usborne Publishing
1986 The Enchanted Canopy - Secrets from the Rainforest Roof, Collins London & Macmillan, NY
1989 Rainforest Wildlife, Oxford Scientific Films
1989 A Fragile Paradise - Nature and Man in the Pacific, Collins
1989 The Canopy Community: in Rainforests a Celebration, Barrie and Jenkins.
1990 Vanishing Paradise, Century Hutchinson (Published in six languages)
1990 Deforestation: in World Guide to Environmental Issues and Organisations, Editor: Peter
Brackley, Longmans.
1991 In the Treetops – In: Illustrated Library of the Earth - Rainforests, Weldon Owen
Publications/Time Life,
Various 50 + Articles / papers in journals, magazines and news media.
Relevant Papers
2000 Nadkarni, N., Mitchell, AW. & Rentmeester, S. Forest Canopy Planning Workshop: Final
Report. Evergreen State College, Olympia Washington, USA. Unpublished Report.
2001 Mitchell, A.W. Canopy science – time to shape up. Introductory paper in ‘Tropical Rainforest
Canopies: Ecology and Management. Proceedings of the 3rd
International Conference at
Oxford’. Ed. Prof. Eduard Linsenmair, Dr. Andrew Davis, Dr Martin Speight, Dr Brigit Fiala.
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dortrecht. Spring 2001.
Also published as a special edition of Plant Ecology.
2001 Mitchell, A. W. Why does the world need a Global Canopy Programme? In: Tropical
Ecosystems – Structure, Diversity, and Human Welfare. Proceedings of the International
Conference on Tropical Ecosystems. Eds. K.N. Ganeshaiah, R.Uma ShaanKer and K.S. Bawa.
2001 Mitchell, A.W. The Global Canopy Programme – A new alliance for investigating the role of
forest canopies in maintaining a stable planet. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (2001). Assessment, Conservation and Sustainable use of Forest Biodiversity.
Montreal, SCBD, 130p. (CBD Technical Series no. 3).
2001 Horlyck, V. & Mitchell, A.W. The International Crane Network. United Nations Environment
Programme.
2001 Mitchell, A.W. & Horlyck V. The Global Canopy Programme Handbook –Techniques of access
and study in the Rainforest Roof. Edition II . United Nations Environment Programme.
2002 Mitchell, A.W. The Global Canopy Programme - A new alliance for investigating the role of forest
canopies in maintaining a stable planet. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
(2001). Assessment, Conservation and Sustainable use of Forest Biodiversity. Montreal, SCBD,
130p. (CBD Technical Series no. 3).
2003 Ozanne, C.M.P., Anhuf, D., Boulter, S.L, Keller, M., Kitching, R.L, Körner, C., Meinzer, F.C,
Mitchell, A.W, Nakashizuka, T., Silva Dias, P.L, Stork, N.E., Wright, S.J, Yoshimura. M
Biodiversity Meets the Atmosphere: A global view of forest canopies. Science 11th
July, Vol. 301
No. 5630.
2003 Krokenberger, A.K, et. al inc. Mitchell A.W. Environmental Crisis: Climate Change and Terrestrial
Biodiversity in Queensland. Rainforest Co-operative Research Centre report to the Office of the
Premier, Queensland State Government.
2004 Mitchell A.W., The Global Canopy Programme. In Lowman, M and Rinker, B Eds. Forest Canopies
(2nd
Edition) Academic Press/Elsevier
2007 Mitchell, A.W. Climate Change, Biodiversity and Forest Canopies. In: Canopy Arthropod
Research in Central Europe. Basic and applied studies from the high frontier. Edited by A.
Floren & J. Schmidl.
In Press Viana, V, et al Biological Sequestration and Storage: the role of
nature. In a forthcoming report on Deep Decarbonisation
Pathways due for publication in 2015.