André Aquino currently leads the China–World Bank Group Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions in Beijing. The Center has the mandate to curate and disseminate cutting-edge knowledge and scalable solutions from China in ecosystem restoration and conservation — including reforestation, watershed management, desertification control, biodiversity conservation, and nature finance. André is responsible for the overall management of the Center, strategic directions, team supervision, dialogue with the counterparts at the Government of China and other stakeholders (academia, civil society, private sector).

With over 20 years of international experience in natural resource management and environmental policy, André has held senior roles across government and the World Bank. Until December 2025, he served as Head of the Economics and Environment Office at Brazil's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, coordinating its 2024 G20 environment agenda. At the World Bank, he served as ProgramLeader for Sustainable Development in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, managing a multi-sector portfolio exceeding US$5 billion, with previous postings in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Washington, DC. His expertise spans forestry, biodiversity and protected areas, ecosystem services, climate mitigation and adaptation, costal and fisheries management, land administration, and rural development, with a strong focus on mechanisms that channel benefits to local communities.

André holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Economics from the University of Maryland, an Executive Program Diploma in Forestry from Yale University, a postgraduate degree in Environmental Law from the Federal University of Pará, and a B.A. in International Relations from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais. He is the founder of two private nature reserves in Brazil's Cerrado near Chapada dos Veadeiros and volunteers as an advisor to IMAFLORA and IPAM (leading environment policy NGOs in Brazil).