Cristiana Damiano

Cristiana was born and raised in Brazil.  Being surrounded by natural beauty and diverse culture instilled her desire for exploration at a young age.  Her passion for wilderness, different cultures and inhospitable regions led her to pursue a career in ecology, oceanography and, ultimately, the pursuit of a Ph.D. in environmental sciences and coral reef ecology in Australia.  Her travels have taken her to the Amazon and Borneo jungles, the higher mountains of Southeast Asia, the Great Barrier Reef and Far Northern Reefs, Papua New Guinea villages, volcanoes in Guatemala and the deep seas in many remote islands around the globe. 

Cristiana has worked with university and research institutions, WWF, and other NGOs for the preservation and protection of threatened ecosystems.  She has also been an extreme adventure guide, climbing guide and is a PADI scuba instructor.  She worked as a presenter for National Geographic documentaries and believes media is an important and efficient way of transferring scientific research findings to a broad audience and an important tool for conservation.  Cristiana currently resides in the beautiful Byron Shire, the most eastern point of Australia in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales.