Currículum Vítae


  R. Aguilar 


Experiencia profesional

Ricardo Aguilar coordinates all of Oceana’s European research projects on the marine environment: the impact of trawling on living seafloor and the fish that depend on it; accidental capture of marine species such as turtles and dolphins; pollution caused by hydrocarbons, heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants; the state of deep sea corals and sponges, sharks and other deep sea fish; and others.

Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies (CEMA/FUHEM)

Before accepting his current position at Oceana, from 2001 to 2003 Aguilar was the Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies for the Hogar del Empleado Foundation EMA/FUHEM), an institution dedicated to promoting laws that protect the environment, and support peace, development and education.

During this period he carried out several environmental studies, fieldwork, presentations of political and legislative initiatives, technical documents, environmental education materials and articles for the news media. Between 2000 and 2003 he was responsible for the Spanish edition of the “WorldWatch” report about “The State of the World,” participating as co-author of the Spanish chapter.

The news media and principal political initiatives have reflected his reports about the international shipping of dangerous material—after the accident of the oil tanker “Prestige”—as well as the state of fishing in Spain and its relation to marine pollution. Other in-depth works by Aguilar focus on Spain’s water management program and the role of Spain and the European Union (EU) at the Johannesburg Summit with respect to international conventions on biodiversity and climate change. He is also the author of the book “Common Goods in Conflict” and commissioner of an exhibition of the same name held in Cajamadrid Foundation’s La Casa Encendida.

Campaign Director for Greenpeace Spain

From 1999 to 2001 Aguilar was Campaign Director for Greenpeace Spain, unifying under his directorship all research involving several different branches such as marine biology, pollution, forests, energy, climate change and disarmament. Between 1994 and 1999 he was Director of the Biodiversity Branch, organising campaigns with coastal and oceanic themes, as well as biotechnology, forests and eco-toxicology. Before that, between 1992 and 1993, he served as Coordinator of Marine Ecology, and from 1992 to 1996, he was member of the team of biodiversity consultants for Greenpeace International.

In 1996, from Greenpeace headquarters in Amsterdam (Holland), he coordinated the organisation’s international campaign against whale hunting during the 48th meeting of the International Whale Commission in Aberdeen (Scotland) and the international campaign against the use of driftnets in the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean (between 1994 and 1998), and he participated in several research studies onboard vessels in the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Collaboration with national and international organisations

Ricardo Aguilar has collaborated and worked with international organisations from the United Nations, such as FAO, UNESCO or UNEP; international conventions such as the those held in Barcelona, Bern, Bonn and Washington; and the International Whaling Commission. He has also been a member of the Spanish government’s Water Council, attending special commissions in the Senate and different regional parliaments of Spain. He has participated in groups working toward the creation of the National Biodiversity Strategy, as well as in meetings of the United Nations for the development of the Protocol of Biosecurity for the Biodiversity Convention and the UN international fishing agreement regarding transzonal and highly migratory species. Aguilar is recognised as an international expert and is included in the Directory of Marine Mammals Specialists (Mediterranean and Black Seas) of the UN Environmental Program.

Scientific researcher and environmental educator

Aguilar has published articles and scientific reports in journals such as the Journal of the Zoological Society of London, the European Cetacean Society and the International Workshop on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. Much of his work focuses on the environmental impact of pollution and of fishing techniques on sea life and the management of fish and other marine organisms such as turtles or cetaceans. He has given more than 500 conferences and courses related to environmental problems, and has participated in seminars and conferences in more than 30 countries.