José Roberto “Beto” Borges is a Brazilian conservationist with over four decades of experience advancing Indigenous rights, forest protection, and sustainable development. He is Director of the Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative at Forest Trends, leading efforts to strengthen Indigenous governance and expand access to climate finance. He has held leadership roles at Rainforest Action Network, Goldman Environmental Foundation, and Shaman Pharmaceuticals, and was instrumental in the world’s first Indigenous-led REDD+ project with the Suruí and Brazil’s first jurisdictional REDD+ program in Acre. Beto holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Dominican University of California, and Escola Técnica Oswaldo Cruz.