Ricardo Nogueira Martins has a degree in Geography and Planning, a master’s degree in Geography – Planning and Territorial Management and a postgraduate degree in Community Policies and Territorial Cooperation from UMinho, with a master’s degree in Strategic Innovation Management from TECMINHO-UMinho.During his academic career, he studied in Spain at the University of the Balearic Islands, where he worked as a research fellow.
He worked as a consultant in environmental impact assessment and was a researcher, equivalent to a senior technician, at the Landscape Laboratory in Guimarães.
His professional and research interests are Community Policies and International Relations, Environmental Diplomacy, Territorial Development Strategies and Environmental Protection, Environmental Public Policies, Local and Rural Development, Territorial Planning and Zoning, Nature-Based Solutions, Territorial Cooperation, Territorial Cohesion, Urban Policy, Management, Conservation and Promotion of Protected Areas and Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism.
He is a Young Professional Regional Focal Point (Europe) at the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), a member of the Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Fourth Cologne Geopark, and qualified in EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment as a competent expert in Territory and Soil by QPAIA.
He is currently Head of Service for the Sousa Superior Local Protected Landscape in the Municipality of Lousada.