NSEN & RCEN World Ocean Day Celebration

 Camilo M. Botero
 Coastal Explorer and Geographer

Camilo M. Botero is a coastal explorer and geographer. Born thousands of kilometers from the sea, mandatory service in the Colombian Navy ignited his passion for studying coastal systems and being an active pacifist. He has been a professor, a researcher, and a project leader in Latin America, and now in Canada. He’s an indisciplinary researcher, with academic experience in engineering, law, and management. He has published in many scientific journals, but he feels equally proud of the short films, gameboards, and tourist guides he had also produced.

Dr. Botero is a full fellow of the Colombian Geographic Society who travels around the world. His perspective is global, but he considers himself a Latin American citizen. He’s working on the concept of scientific tourism; a new way to engage travellers to learn, practice and support science. He understands tourism as a geographical process, not merely an economic activity. Camilo is seeking to create a tool to conserve at least seven generations more of our coastal heritage.

Camilo's ultimate goal is to positively influence decision-making, with an emphasis on coastal areas. From the academy to communities of practice, his path is the same that he learnt when he was a boy scout in Colombia: leave this world a little better than he found it.