Manuela Manzano Mora is an Industrial Engineer and Business Administrator with a focus on sustainability, climate policy, and investment in Latin America. She serves as a Researcher and Project Manager at ERA’s Nature- and Community-based Environmental Research + Action Lab (NACERA) , where she focuses on strengthening capacities for the implementation and research of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the Biogeographic Chocó, one of the most biodiverse and climate-vulnerable regions in the world.

In this role, Manuela supports the technical coordination of the Alliance of Cities for the Biogeographic Chocó, contributing to the development of socio-ecological assessments of strategic ecosystems and identifying priority areas for future research and investment. Her work bridges scientific research with policy and implementation, enabling more informed decision-making across local governments and international partners. Manuela plays a key role in project proposal formulation and concept development in collaboration with strategic partners such as CAF (Development Bank of Latin America), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Organization of American States (OAS). Through these efforts, she contributes to structuring initiatives that align environmental priorities with financial and institutional frameworks.

Her experience includes supporting the technical coordination of COP16 and Cali’s Biodiversity Week, where she contributed to the organization and development of high-level discussions engaging policymakers, development institutions, and community leaders. Manuela is particularly interested in designing scalable financing pathways that connect public policy, private investment, and community-led solutions to advance sustainable development across Latin America and the Caribbean.