Aldo Soto
About Aldo Soto
Aldo Soto is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Amazonia Impact Ventures, where he promotes sustainable agriculture and supports indigenous communities. With over 15 years of experience in conservation and sustainable livelihoods, he has held various leadership roles in organizations focused on environmental protection and community development.
Work at Amazonia Impact Ventures
Aldo Soto serves as the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Amazonia Impact Ventures, a role he has held since 2021. The organization focuses on impact-linked investments aimed at incentivizing forest conservation and restoration. Soto promotes sustainable and regenerative agriculture while supporting resilient businesses and improving livelihoods. His leadership emphasizes collaboration with indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers, enhancing biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest. He has structured the first Development Impact Bond in Latin America to support indigenous farmers, showcasing his commitment to innovative financial solutions for conservation.
Previous Experience in Conservation
Aldo Soto has over 15 years of experience in leading conservation and sustainable livelihoods programs. He worked at the World Wildlife Fund in various capacities, including Freshwater Programme Manager and Northwestern Amazon Programme Manager. His tenure at the Rainforest Foundation UK as Senior Coordinator for the Andean Amazon Programme lasted nine years, from 2012 to 2021. Additionally, he held positions at Centro de Datos para la Conservación - Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, where he served as Project Manager and Species and Landscape Ecology Analyst. His diverse roles have equipped him with extensive knowledge in conservation strategies.
Education and Expertise
Aldo Soto holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, where he studied from 1995 to 2000. He furthered his education with an MSc in Conservation of Forestry Resources at the same institution from 2001 to 2004. In 2014, he completed studies in Development of Associative Rural Enterprises at Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza. Soto also participated in an Executive Education Programme in Social Finance at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in 2018. His academic background supports his expertise in conservation, rural development, and social finance.
Achievements in Sustainable Development
Aldo Soto has played a strategic role in developing partnerships between indigenous peoples, conservation organizations, rural businesses, and ethical buyers. His work emphasizes the importance of collaboration among various stakeholders to enhance conservation efforts. Soto's initiatives often focus on supporting indigenous communities and smallholder farmers, fostering their own organizations to improve livelihoods and promote biodiversity. His contributions to structuring the first Development Impact Bond in Latin America reflect his innovative approach to financing conservation efforts.