Emilio Rodríguez studied biology at Universidad Nacional de Colombia and went on to a postgraduate degree in Urban and Territorial Management at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain. He has also taken courses at the University of California (Merced) and West Virginia University, United States. He has served as deputy director at the National Park authority; coordinator of projects on Amazon region protected areas at WWF; environmental advisor to the National Hydrocarbons Agency; and Director of Forests, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
