Nicole Leotaud
Nicole Leotaud is a Caribbean environmental leader, policy expert, and advocate for sustainable development with more than three decades of experience advancing environmental governance, natural resource management, and climate resilience across the region. She serves as Executive Director of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), a leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting participatory approaches to conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and equitable development in the Caribbean.
Throughout her career, Nicole has worked at the intersection of people, policy, and the environment, supporting initiatives focused on the inclusive governance and management of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, green and blue economies, community livelihoods, climate adaptation, disaster resilience, and environmental justice. Her work has helped strengthen the capacity of governments, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and the private sector to collaborate in addressing some of the Caribbean’s most pressing environmental and development challenges.
Nicole currently serves as an Elected Representative of the Public to the Escazú Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. A passionate advocate for the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), she is widely recognized for championing equitable, people-centered approaches to conservation and sustainable development at regional and global levels.
Through her leadership, Nicole continues to inspire action toward a more resilient, just, and sustainable future for the Caribbean and its people.