I started studying coastal zones and their human populations, particularly artisanal fishers during my master dissertation at the University of São Paulo in 1971 and at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, in 1973. From 1974 to 1979 I continued my anthropological training at PhD Level at the Sorbonne, in Paris (École des Hautes en Sciences Sociales) and at the University of Sao Paulo, dealing with the relationships between artisanal and industrial fishing in Brazil. In 1977 I joined the United Nations in Geneva and Rome, dealing with resettlement of refugees and with fisheries planning. Back to the University of São Paulo in 1985, after 14 years of international, experience in several countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, I have established a research centre on Coastal Wetlands and Human Populations, (NUPAUB) with the participation of researchers from different academic background, including oceanographers, biologists, economists, anthropologists. As research coordinator and professor at the Graduate Course on Environmental Sciences of the University of São Paulo, I was able to initiate various projects and programmes on marine conservation, putting together natural and social scientists. I have participated in the boards of several international academic institutions, and I have published several books and articles in national and international magazines on issues of coastal conservation and social participation, marine protected areas, ethnoscience, etc.