Passionate about the environment, and especially continental freshwater and marine resources, I have a solid professional experience on France and Ecuador, I’m really adaptable because I have been working with different countries and types of institution. I enjoy to work in a team to achieve optimal results.

María Belén Benítez Carranco  is an Ecuadorian Environmental Engineer, graduate of the Equinoxial University of Quito (UTE). She also holds a MSc in Climate Change and environmental negotiation (Andina University), and a Master in science, conservation and valorisation of marine resources (MARRES master) of the Nice Côte d’Azur University.

Regarding her experience, she has been working in Ecuador for six years, focusing on water resources management and analysis of continental water quality. She collaborated with International Organizations (Organization of Amazonian Treaty - ACTO), public sector in the Ministry of Water of Ecuador (SENAGUA), and also laboratories (GRUENTEC-ESIMASTER CIA LTDA).

In SENAGUA, she worked in the department of international and social articulation, collaborating in the integrated management of water resources, especially in transboundary basins which is a developing area of study in Ecuador.

Maria Belen has also worked during two years  within the national direction of water quality of SENAGA, contributing to the development of a new policy of monitoring with bio-indication (macro invertebrates in particular) and environmental assessment of continental water quality in the SENAGUA.

She wanted to expand her knowledge and obtain complete experience in the field of water resource, with a link between continental and marine waters. For this reason  she came to France and studied Marine Resources at Côte d’Azur University.

Maia Belen has already realized various professional internships in France :First within the permanent centre for initiatives for the environment (CPIE), thanks to this experience, she learned about the coastal ecosystems of the Mediterranean region and the specific challenges for their protection, she also carry out public awareness activities for the CPIE.

Then she has completed a second internship at the IRCAN laboratory, which consisted in a support to project management and scientific communication of the both following processes:

• the creation of the international associated laboratory (LIA) – “response of organisms and populations to environmental stress” (ROPSE) in collaboration between the Côte d’Azur university and the Scientific Center of Monaco (CSM).
• The creation of the federative research institute - marine resources (IFR) which gather the various laboratories linked to marine resources within the Côte d’Azur University (UCA)  ; 

   Currently,  she is studying a graduate diploma in project management. She is doing an internship at the ECOSEAS Laboratory, managing scientific communication of the CLIM-ECO² project (scientific outreach tools, social network, creation of webpage).