Dr. Teixeira was appointed the Brazilian Environmental Minister in 2010, after over 25 years of governmental service.  A major focus of her work as environmental minister has been reducing the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, and her policies have resulted in significant advances.  During her tenure, Brazil has approved a new Forest Code and the CAR (Environmental Rural Cadastre) system.  Minister Teixeira has also championed the consolidation of nearly 60 million hectares of protected areas in the Amazon through the establishment of the ARPA for Life initiative.  As Minister, Dr. Teixeira also hosted both Rio+20 and the 2012 World Environment Day.  Dr. Teixeira received her doctorate in Biology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.