As a tropical ecologist and forester, Ruth Metzel works on promoting ecological restoration efforts around the world to realize the massive potential of restoration as a climate solution. Ruth worked for over a decade in Panama to restore tropical dry forests as the Executive Director and co-founder of the Fundación Pro Eco Azuero.  Throughout that time Ruth worked with a diversity of stakeholders ranging from local communities to national authorities and international donors to inspire action on environmental education, sustainable land management, habitat restoration, and reforestation. Her research explores the agriculture-forest interface, how farmers protect and plant trees and the ways in which actors from multiple sectors interact to achieve integrated landscape management objectives. She has worked with UNEP-DTU, ICRAF, Drawdown, The Forests Dialogue, and the Global Warming Mitigation Project. Ruth holds a Bachelor’s in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Princeton, and Master of Forestry, and an MBA from Yale. She is currently a board member of Pro Eco Azuero, a member of the International Society for Tropical Foresters, and a National Geographic Explorer.