Experience

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  Jardín botánico la laguna

  Nov 1999 - Jul 2002

  Chief of scientific-technical section

  -Managed the herbarium collections. Expanded collection from 5000 to 24,000 specimens.-Managed inter-institutional relations with international herbariums, botaical gardens and local NGO's and government instutions.-Managed live plant collections, increased native plants collection using CITES endangered plants lists as a priority.-Managed La Laguna and El Amatal protected areas.-Coordinated the vegetation inventory of the following protected areas: Cinquera, Parque Nacional Montecristo, San Juan Buena Vista, Rio Sapo, and San Diego la Barra. Show less

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  University of florida

  Aug 2002 - Nov 2009

  -Analysis of Forest Cover Dynamics for the Lempa River basin of El Salvador from 1979 to 2003.-Creation of climatic, socio-economic and geophysical models to explain the processes of deforestation and forest regeneration happening in El Salvador -Created and managed GIS global database for relating cultural and environmental information.-Provided information for the creation of exhibit for the American Museum of Natural History.-Produced two scientific publications regarding the importance of mountains in conserving biocultural diversity. -Analysis of the ecological importance of different vegetation types in providing wild foods to the Ngobe indigenous people of Costa Rica.

  • Doctoral Dissertation study

    Jan 2005 - Nov 2009

  • GIS specialist in Biocultural Diversity Project

    Jan 2003 - Jul 2007

  • Master's Thesis

    Aug 2002 - Dec 2004
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  Wildlife conservation society

  May 2006 - Jul 2006

  Forestry and gis consultant

  -Created a vegetation classification and map for water sources, trails and archeological sites for the Mirador-Rio Azul National Park in the Mayan Biosphere.-Created a preliminary fire risk prediction model using weekly satellite images and land use modeling in the region to reduce risks of forest fires.

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  Ssc-americas s.a.

  Jan 2007 - Apr 2013

  Technical manager viteca s.a.

  -Management of mixed-species forest nursery (over 500,000 seedlings produced)-Establishment and management of teak plantations-Establishment and management of experimental growth stands for teak and native species-Management of privately owned conservation areas

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  Duke university

  Jun 2009 - Jul 2012

  Instructor for duke talent identification program

  -Teaching forest ecology summer program-Teaching ethnobiology summer program

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  Duke/ots

  Aug 2009 - Dec 2011

  Resident professor

  -Resident professor taught and coordinated the Ethnobiology program-Conducted research oriented to improving Indigenous people's livelihoods and resource management in southern Costa Rica.

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  Deutsche gesellschaft für internationale zusammenarbeit (giz) gmbh

  Nov 2011 - Feb 2012

  Forestry and gis methods consultant

  -Compiling of methods manuals for the standardization of forest inventory methodologies and remote sensing of forest resources for the quantification of carbon credits for REDD+ projects in Central America.

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  Deutsche gesellschaft für internationale zusammenarbeit (giz) gmbh

  Apr 2013 - Nov 2014

  Expert technical adviser

  -Development of semi-automated GIS Models for high-resolution satellite image classification for forest mapping in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Dominican Republic. -Coordination of the establishment of REDD oriented activities in native species mixed plantations, secondary forest management, enrichment of degraded forests in El Salvador.- Development of shrubland restoration plan through enrichment planting in the Panama Canal Basin.-Execution of training programs regarding forest measure, forest inventories, and mapping of forest. -Incorporation of new technologies in forest cover monitoring for the Central American Region. Show less

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  Gis and forestry consultant

  Nov 2014 - now

  Consultant

  - Climate change lecturer-Consulting in GIS analysis- Satellite image based mapping- Forest management, environmental studies.- Non-timber forest product marketing and exports

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  Duke university

  May 2015 - Jan 2016

  Adjunct professor

  Professor for the Tropical Disease, Environmental Change and Human Health Semester Program.

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  Ciee council on international educational exchange

  Jan 2016 - now

  Lead instructor

  -Instructor for Sustainability Semester program-Instructor for Environmental Engineering Summer program-Instructor for Sustainable Development in the Tropics Summer and January program-Academic curriculum design-Sustainable energy production issues