Manoel holds a degree in Fisheries Engineering from the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (1994) and a postgraduate qualification and Master's degree in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University of Brasília (2006). With approximately 30 years of experience in developing financial mechanisms for conservation, sustainable development, and climate change, he has worked for the State Government (EMATER-PE), in International Cooperation as a local expert for GTZ (now GIZ), and for ten years at the Ministry of the Environment, with a notable role at the National Environment Fund. Since 2007, he has been working at FUNBIO, developing and implementing innovative financial mechanisms that secure strategic funding for biodiversity. In 2015, he took up the position of Superintendent of Programmes, a role he holds to this day.