Ingemar Hedström was born in Silbodal, Sweden. He graduated from the theological seminary in Lidingö, Sweden, in 1971, studied sociology at the University of Stockholm in 1971-72, and received his licentiate in biology, chemistry, and geography at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, in 1981. He received a M.Sc. in natural sciences from Uppsala in 1982, where he studied tropical ecology and entomology. He was ordained as a pastor of the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden in 1972. Since 1983 he has been a member of the investigative team of the Departamento Ecuménico de Investigaciones (DEI) and professor at the School of Biology at the University of Costa Rica. His books include: Born to be Free: Trafficking in Endangered Species in Costa Rica and Ecuadore The Gift of the Poor to the Rich: Nonviolent Struggle in Latin America; Will the Swallows Return. The Reintegration of Creation from Latin American Perspective; and We Are Part of a Great Balance: The Ecological Crisis in Central America.