Personal information
Surname / First name
Didonna Ferdinando
ferdinando.didonna@gmail.com
Occupational field
Forestry engineer and landscaper with a large experience in Mediterranean and Tropical landscapes; Environment, forestry and rural development, microfinance, ecotourism and development projects: project cycle management, design, formulation, evaluation, negotiation and execution, the leadership of social development processes, design of large-scale gardens and forest, actually interested in Bioenergetic Landscape.
Experience
Landscaping and Forestry project consultant:
1990-to Present
Several
project for Training Design and teaching management of the rural environment
and forest, environmental management techniques and rural development for
social focus group. Responsibilities in the production process of 4 hectares of
olive grove and 10 hectares of cherry plantation. Gardening planification and
maintenance with SPAZIO VERDE, landscaping for medium and large gardens,
forestry management, reforestation, tree pathology and tree climbing for
pruning or removal;
Consultant at Agriconsulting Europe: LA representative
Business development expert and project manager
AUGUST 2008 to present
Belgium-Latin America Business
Development and preparation of international tenders and project financed by EU
funds / EDF / IDB/ WB, in AL area and ACP. Billing and control project
execution. Supervision of 7 permanent staff and 125 short term staff. Budget
design, finance and contract, rules and procedures: call for proposal, call for
tenders, budgetary report, monitoring and reporting, complex funding agreements
with bilateral and multilateral organizations;
Forestry consultant
July December 2016
FONAFIFO "DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTIVE
CHAINS IN THE PROCESSING SECONDARY WOOD INDUSTRY " to select and propose
at least 10 leading companies of national scope into secondary wood processing
sector. Perform a technical assessment of each company. Identify productive
chains that generate the selected companies. Define a strategy with its Plan of
Action to continue the process and consolidate productive chains. This
consultancy is carried out in the framework of actions to increase the use of
wood as a strategy for reducing and offsetting CO2 emissions.
|
ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles, Solvay Brussels School of
Economics and Management: European Microfinance Programme. Belgium 2008-09 |
Master in Microfinance Thesis: Micro financial products for forestry
project in FONAFIFO Costa Rica: Stakeholders approach for the natural savings
strategy. |
|
Organization of American States
(OAS)& Inter-American University Organization Washington, United States
of America 2005 |
Environment
and Recreational Economy Diploma. |
|
UNED State University Agricultural
Extension emphasis in Rural Development San Jose, Costa Rica 2002-04 |
Master in
Science (honor's). Thesis: Propuesta de un modelo organizacional para la
gestión socio-ambiental del fuego en los Distritos de Paquera, Lepanto y
Cóbano. |
|
UNICEF University of Bari Italy 1993-94 |
Diploma of Education to
Development: human resources development children education, health,
communication ecology and environment. |
|
UNIVERSITY OF BARI Superior School of
Agriculture and Forestry-, ITALY 1989-97 Training in the University of
Zaragoza Spain |
Msc in Forest Sciences (honor's- Italian Laureate
Degree). Thesis: Studies on Truffle in Apulia. |
EPSO Test approved: Applicant No 715707 - EPSO/CAST27/6/07 CAST27 (RELEX) - FGIV Applicant No 863665 - EPSO/CAST/RELEX/4/08 CAST RELEX 2008 - FGIV
ACTIVITIES AND
INTERESTS
•Botany, Suiseki and bonsai art, •
Speleology • Environmental conservation • Hiking • Cooking-Travel
水石 - *Suiseki is the Japanese art of stone appreciation,
which values aspects like stability, longevity and immortality. The stones are
naturally occurring and unshaped. Literally translated 'Suiseki' means
waterstone, the stones often represent mountains, waterfalls and other natural
scenes. Ideal for small and medium gardens, interior garden usually accompany Bonsai
(Japanese: 盆栽, lit. 'tray planting', a tree is grown with a specific
pruning and transplanting techniques, Bonsai can be created from nearly any
perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub species that produces true branches and
can be cultivated to remain small through pot confinement with crown and root
pruning. My master is Gianni Picella past president of the UBI Bonsai ITALY.
Fagus Sylvatica Bonsai
Small tropical garden
Extended Work experience
October 2003 – to present
Position held: Executive director of Anthros and Coordinator of INA-Anthros 2002 project.
Main activities and responsibilities: Coordination of consulting team.
Contact with the INA (Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje – Government entity).
Organization involving local residents of area where project was developed.
Organization of all the tourism sectors involved in the project (white water rafting).
Monthly development and financial reports for INA and Anthros.
Organization of different caving courses.
Organization of the first Congress of Speleology in Central America, Honduras March 2006.
Responsible of the environmental cave projects.
Representative of the International Union of Speleology for Costa Rica
Name and address of employer: Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA) & Anthros Speleological Group, Apartamento Rohmoser 25, San José, Costa Rica.
President: Gustavo Quesada gquesada@anthros.org
Type of business or sector Environmental NGO/ Government educational institution.
September/November 2007
Occupation: Project Consultant.
Main activities and responsibilities: Analysis of call of proposal and tenders, preparation of the methodological papers in order to present a LIFE+ (Information and Communication measure) on Forest Fire prevention participative campaign in five southern regions in Italy.
Technical support for the presentation of local proposals for funding specific information measures in the action of Implementation of specific measures under budget heading 05 08 06 for 2008 in: ‘Support for information measures relating to the common agricultural policy’, funded by the EC.
Name and address of employer: Focus Europe consortium
Dott. Roberto Bianco pugliaeuropa@libero.it
Type of business or sector EU projects developers
May 2006 to May 2007
Occupation: Project assistant /Consultant
Main activities and responsibilities Organization and participation of a biodiversity studies expedition in the natural Area of Tikves in the Former Republic of Macedonia.
Assistant producer of the documentary video and Wild Macedonia Project.
Responsible of for fund raising and lobbing in the EU Institutions in order to support the 2007/2008 project.
Name and address of employer: Project Group: Wild Flora and Fauna Fund Macedonia, FWFF; Grotte di Castellana; Associazione per la Tutela degli Uccelli Rapaci e dei loro Ambienti; La Venta Esplorazioni Geografiche; The Wild Side Comunciation.
President: Giuseppe Savino. savg@libero.it
Type of business or sector Fauna Protection, biodiversity studies, environmental communication.
June - December 2006
Position held: Clean Earth Solutions El Salvador Director Consultant
Main activities and responsibilities Organization of a meeting agenda in order to present the Pressurized Steam Classification (PSC) technology to the public sector (environment ministry, San Salvador public waste management office) and private biomass/energy companies in El Salvador.
Spread information about the PSC, maintain contacts, organize and lead presentations of the PSC.
Name and address of employer: Clean Earth Solutions 1426 Presioca Street, Spring Valley , California 91977 USA
Vice President: Alfredo Gutierrez. agutierrez@cleanearths.com
Type of business or sector Waste management and process, bio energy technologies.
March 2005 – March 2006
Position held: Project Director - Consultant.
Main activities and responsibilities Elaborate long term financial plan and analysis.
Creation of strategic alliances with local groups, religious groups, NGO's and government.
Report to headquarters and maintain weekly summary of activities.
Design of surveys for social evaluation.
Coordination of local team.
Elaboration of short, medium and long term strategy.
Name and address of employer: CIDESO San Benito Flats 6, Colonia San Benito, San Salvador.
CEO: Carlos Isaac Pérez. carlosisaacp@yahoo.com
Type of business or sector Agro ecotourism project funded by the European Union.
October 2005 – March 2006
Occupation: Social program director Consultant
Main activities and responsibilities Social base line studies
Selection and start-up of social and communication team.
Creation of strategic alliances with local groups, religious groups, NGO's and government.
Report to headquarters and maintain weekly summary of activities.
Design of surveys for social evaluation.
Coordination of local team.
Elaboration of short, medium and long term strategy.
Design of educational program for the local team.
Parallel work with strategy consultants.
Name and address of employer: Martinique Minerals 7a. Calle Pte. Pje. 9 # 6, Colonia Escalon
San Salvador, El Salvador.
Regional CEO: Robert Johansing. rjohansing@yahoo.com
Type of business or sector Minerals exploration.
January 2005 - December 2005
Position held Sales & CS Manager
Main activities and responsibilities Maintain communication and cross-training efforts for sales territories in Central America (C.A.)
Sales Representatives- Establish close working relationships regarding customer needs, changes in sales/production strategies.
Bidding Manager – Communicate price discrepancies that may affect accounts receivable, search for bids and calls in C.A.
Customers – Place orders, inquiries, and enter complaints, on site assistance.
Name and address of employer: Corporación M&S Internacional CA, S.A. El Salvador
General Manager C.A., Juan José Lopez. jjlopez@myscr.com
Type of business or sector Construction.
January 1999 - March 2003
Occupation: Collaborator in Environmental Education Program
Main activities and responsibilities Organize and present various activities at local elementary and high schools in order to educate locals on the importance of preserving their environment. Each school had its mini-reserve where local plants and animals were preserved.
Created first investigation stand on the development of plants and trees in the Tropical Dry Forest covering an area of 600 hectares within the Karen Mogensen reserve, which is under ASEPALECO's management.
Study on the impact of local fires within the Interamerican Biological Corridor in the Nicoya Peninsula.
Map processing and positioning with GPS and Idrisi GIS software.
Name and address of employer ASEPALECO/MINAE Jicaral, Puntarenas, Costa Rica www.asepaleco.com
President: Luis MENA asepalec@racsa.co.cr
Type of business or sector: Environmental NGO and Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Education and training
May 2005 – September 2005
Title of qualification awarded: On Line Diploma on Environment and Recreational Economy.
Principal subjects/Occupational skills covered: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, environment economy and policy, recreational economy and policy.
General Planning and Economical evaluation of environmental and recreational projects.
Name and type of organisation providing education and training: Organization of American States (OAS)& Inter-American University Organization
1889 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 US
Level in national or international classification 100 hours online diploma
August 2002 - November 2004
Title of qualification awarded: Master in Science (honor's).
Principal subjects/Occupational skills covered: Agricultural extension, rural development, project manager, statistics’ analysis, computer systems for agriculture, rural communication, rural diagnostic, environment diagnostic, agricultural policy, rural sociology.
Rural development extensions, project manager in environmentally sustainable agriculture, community based natural resources management.
Name and type of organization providing education and training: UNED (Universidad Estatal a Distancia), COSTA RICA
www.uned.ac.cr
Level in national or international classification Master in Science
November 1990 – April 1998
Title of qualification awarded: Dottore in Forest Sciences (honor's).
Principal subjects/Occupational skills covered General and applied: biology, chemistry, botany, physics, zoology, agricultural techniques, phitopathology, silvicolture, forest management, economy, hydrology and water management, forest fires management.
Professional in forest and environment management, bio-diversity, conservation, forestry, wildlife management, water and fish resources management, urban forest management, land management.
Name and type of organization providing education and training: Superior School of Agriculture and Forestry-UNIVERSITY OF BARI, ITALY
Training in the University of Zaragoza Spain
Level in national or international classification Italian Laurea Degree
Personal skills and competences
Mother tongue Italian
Other language(s)
|
Language |
Reading |
Speaking |
Writing |
|
Spanish |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
English |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
French |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
Portuguese |
4 |
5 |
5 |
|
Italian |
Mother tongue |
Mother tongue |
Mother tongue |
Social skills and competences: Good ability to adapt to multicultural environments, gained though my work experience abroad and the extended travel activity.
Very good people networking development based on the consultant and personal experience.
Organisational skills and competences: Excellent leadership in field team work.
Good sense of organization and experience in logistic in extreme environments.
Good experience in project management.
Group Networking set up and maintenance.
NGO organization and management.
Organizational experience had been acquired by the volunteer activity of Speleology; humanitarian Aid and the professional work of project manager.
Technical skills and competences: GPS survey and site survey by compass, drawing cave maps and hazardous environment sites, video survey, scientific photography, experience acquired trough seminar, field activities.
Computer skills and competences: Good knowledge of Windows XP; Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat Professional. Salesforce business administration software, basic web editing, knowledge on GIS Idrisi for Windows, OS MacOs, acquired during the Italian Degree and Master’s Degree in Costa Rica plus personal training.
Artistic skills and competences: Chef abilities; Truffles, wine and olive oil testing acquired from direct experience in the family farm business and university degree.
Other skills and competences: Caving and teaching Speleology experience acquired trough seminars and volunteer in the NGO Gruppo Puglia Grotte Italy / NAUI Scuba Diving Open Water Certified 24/10/04 Costa Rica.
Driving licence(s) Italy Category B, Costa Rica Category B1
|
Country |
Date
from - Date to |
|
Kenya |
May 2021 to present |
|
Central America- |
2009 to present |
|
Colombia-Paraguay-Bolivia-Argentina-Brazil |
2012 to 2020 |
|
Belgium-North Africa |
2007/2010-present |
|
Guatemala |
March 2009 |
|
El Salvador |
2004-2006 January 2014 |
|
USA |
2006 various missions |
|
Honduras |
2006 |
|
Guatemala |
May 2002 |
|
Nicaragua |
February 2001 |
|
Costa Rica |
1998-2004 |
|
Albania |
1993-1998 annual missions |
|
Italia |
1990-1999 |
Vice President of ABCD (Group Of Diplomatic Spouses of El Salvador) from Nov. 2004 to December 2006. Raised funds to purchase hospital equipment for the children’s hospital, built a health centre in a remote town, created a photography course for low income children.
Experience in translation of books and technical documents.
Extended travel in El Salvador and Guatemala to study sustainable agricultural, ecotourism and environment development programs, 2005/06.
Extended travel in Costa Rica and Central America Caves and Karst to study karstic areas and caves to create and inventory of water reservoirs and Karst areas, 1999-2006.
Consultant ad honorem for the Educational Program of IBRA (Basic Rural Agro institute of Nicaragua), Jan 2001.
Associate in a tourism travel agency in Montezuma Costa Rica 1999/2000
Treasurer and member of the Board of directors of the Puglia Speleological Federation, from January 1996 to January 1999.
Coordinator and scientific director of the "Albania Project" 1993/98 Studies/Conference/Courses, horizontal cooperation between the National Institute of Geography Studies and a consortium of Italian caving NGO.
Work experience in "Progetto Mondialita NGO" in a development program in Albania, 1995.
Work experience with Kapiteyn Company in Breezand, Bulbs and Flowers in Holland, 1988 and in Spazio Verde plant and flowers green houses (Italy 1985-1988) .
