Marcelo Rheingantz
Biologist
restoring endangered ecosystems
Marcelo Rheingantz is a Brazilian biologist from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and Executive Director of Refauna, an NGO dedicated to restoring Atlantic Forest remnants through native wildlife translocations. Marcelo has devoted his career to exploring and understanding the ecology, conservation, and management of vertebrate populations. Combining innovative and traditional monitoring tools with community engagement, he develops strategies that mitigate human impacts on biodiversity and promote coexistence between people and wildlife. Marcelo is also a National Geographic Explorer, a member of IUCN Specialist Groups, and works with conservation planning. He is committed to training the next generation of conservationists, inspiring collective efforts to redefine humanity’s relationship with nature.
I have dedicated my career not only to understanding the impact of human activities on biodiversity, but also to protecting and restoring species and ecosystems. My work focuses on the conservation of vertebrate populations, particularly through conservation translocations to restore ecosystem functions – a process known as rewilding. My main focus is Brazil’s most threatened biome, the Atlantic Forest, particularly Tijuca National Park. This forest, replanted by humans in the heart of Brazil’s second-largest city, remained empty of its original fauna. To address this, my colleagues and I founded Refauna, an initiative to reintroduce species and restore ecological interactions in remnants of the Atlantic Forest. What drives me is seeing tangible results: once-silent forests coming back to life and communities reconnecting with the natural world.
“What drives me is seeing tangible results: once-silent forests coming back to life and communities reconnecting with the natural world.”
Conservation biology emerged as a science to address this biodiversity crisis. But conserving what remains is no longer enough – we’ve profoundly modified over 80% of the planet. We must go further, aiming to restore entire ecosystems, particularly tropical megadiverse forests, which harbor 50% of all biodiversity. Since I began studying biology, I’ve sought to understand how living organisms interact with their environments and how human activities impact their populations. Recently, my focus has been reversing the “Empty Forest Syndrome”, where many larger animal species are absent from ecosystems. Achieving this goal, however, requires collective action. Conservation cannot succeed in isolation – it demands collaboration with people and partners who share this vision.
I see my work expanding the definition of exploration by combining ecology and conservation biology with technology and people. Using tools like drones, artificial intelligence, camera traps, telemetry, and bioacoustics, we monitor species and habitats more effectively than ever before. These technologies deepen our understanding of natural systems and our connection with them, enabling us to rediscover balance within already-altered landscapes. Exploration is not only about venturing into uncharted territories; it’s about restoring what has been lost and uncovering solutions to preserve life on Earth
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