María Verónica Córdova

Partnership Specialist – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

María Verónica supports the design and implementation of UNDP initiatives that connect biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development with economic and policy frameworks. She contributes technical, policy, and partnership expertise to projects that strengthen the integration of spatial planning and nature-positive economy approaches, including supporting the development of roadmaps and national strategies. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she engages with ministries, scientists, and key stakeholders to align national priorities with global frameworks such as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Since 2021, she has played a key role across different initiatives such as the Mapping Hope for the People and Planet – Essential Life Support Area (ELSA) initiative, Restoring Hope, Prioritizing Nature, UNBL–GBF Mapping Project, and the Nature Transition Support Programme (NTSP) in Ecuador. She works closely with governments, UN agencies, and international partners to build consensus and deliver actionable solutions.

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Previous experience and expertise

María Verónica is a Civil Engineer with a Master’s degree in Environmental and Water Resources Systems from Cornell University. She has more than a decade of experience in sustainable development projects, policy processes, and environmental governance. From 2016 to 2020, she served as Director of Marine and Coastal Management at Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, leading interinstitutional coordination, international projects, and the development of marine-coastal regulations. She is passionate about connecting evidence-based science with practical decision-making to achieve both environmental and social impact.

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Recent work 

UNBL–GBF Mapping Project | Partnership Specialist
María Verónica supports the UNBL–GBF Mapping Project across countries, which assists Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in using spatial data to implement the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, strengthening national reporting and planning capacities using the UNBL as a supporting tool.

Prioritizing Nature Project | Partnership Specialist
Through Prioritizing Nature, María Verónica collaborates with national stakeholders to identify key areas of analysis that contribute to achieving national and global targets. She works closely with local governmental institutions to implement the final analysis.

Nature Transition Support Programme | Partnership Specialist
María Verónica has supported Ecuador’s roadmap toward a nature-positive economy, coordinating work across ministries of Environment, Finance, and Planning. She has facilitated multi-stakeholder processes to identify “options of change” for biodiversity–economy–wellbeing integration.

Restoring Hope Project | Partnership Specialist
She contributed to the Restoring Hope initiative, which focused on implementing the ELSA methodology in Ecuador and developed a final restoration map.

Essential Life Support Areas (ELSAs) | Policy Engagement
She has been engaged in the development of the “ELSA Map” for Ecuador (2021), ensuring that spatial data informs land-use planning, ecosystem restoration, and national commitments. Her role was crucial in engaging with key national stakeholders.