Search Subscribe
Sign up for our free newsletter and get more of Development Asia delivered to your inbox.
Francesco Ricciardi Senior Environment Specialist, Office of Safeguards, Asian Development Bank
Prior to joining ADB, Francesco worked for about 10 years as a researcher focusing on the impact of environmental contamination on natural ecosystems and wildlife. After leaving academia, he worked as an environment and ecology consultant in several projects around Asia, including renewable energy plants, large coastal infrastructures, and natural resources development and protection. He is a passionate underwater and wildlife photographer. Some of his photos have been published in international magazines and papers.
In Samoa, eDNA survey techniques were used to assess the potential effects of a proposed dam on freshwater ecosystems.
Drones, remote sensing, and other tech-driven solutions make biodiversity monitoring and impact assessment for development projects easier and less costly.
Studying the prominent implications of banning legal wildlife trade can help design effective policies for mitigating the spread of zoonotic disease.
A study of Southeast Asian projects provides insights on how the Philippines can improve efforts to prevent illegal wildlife trade.
Protecting ecosystems is real development, and it has an amazing return on investment.
River infrastructure projects must consider natural flows in project planning to save aquatic ecosystems and downstream communities.
To prevent the emergence of a new pandemic, monitoring of pathogens must be supported by socioeconomic solutions that protect biodiversity.