Executive committee
The executive committee comprises two coordinators, two secretaries and members representing various Latin American countries, ensuring a diverse and balanced regional perspective.
Country representatives:
Argentina: Francisco Carabelli and María Isabel Delgado.
Colombia: Sandra Milena Díaz López, Andrés Avella Muñoz and Ricardo Andrés Oviedo Celis.
Mexico: Concepción Luján Álvarez and Sandra Rodríguez Piñeros.
Panama: Sandra Sharry.
Paraguay: Enrique Asterio Benítez León.
Peru: Berenice del Milagro Fernández Heaton and Ethel Rubin de Celis Llanos.
Representative of the College of Forestry, Oregon State University: René Zamora-Cristales.
The Network is organised into five working areas, each coordinated by designated representatives from different countries, who are responsible for promoting specific actions and strengthening collaboration within each field:
Communications Area: María Isabel Delgado and Francisco Carabelli.
Institutional Relations Area: Concepción Luján Alvarez, René Zamora.
Technical Area: Ricardo Oviedo, Enrique Benítez León.
Events Management Area: Berenice Fernández Heaton, René Zamora, Sandra Díaz López.
Fundraising Management Area: Sandra Sharry.
Speakers
Colombia
Ricardo Andrés Oviedo Celís
Ingeniero forestal egresado de la Universidad Industrial de Santander Colombia, Especialista en Preservación y Conservación de los Recursos Naturales, Magister en Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Ambiente, y actualmente estudiante Doctorado en Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental.
Miembro activo de la Sociedad Colombiana de la Ciencia del Suelo (SCCS) y la Red Latinoamericana de Enseñanza Forestal (RELAFOR). Profesor universitario del Instituto de Proyección Regional y Educación a Distancia IPRED – UIS con sede en Málaga.
Sus áreas de experiencia académica e investigativa son la calidad del suelo, silvicultural de plantaciones comerciales y sistemas rurales productivos, que materializó en la Provincia de García Rovira al Nororiente del Departamento de Santander Colombia. Participó de la formulación, dirección y desarrollo trabajos de investigación articulados a las actividades docentes, orientados a la generación de nuevo conocimiento sobre indicadores de calidad del suelo en zonas altoandinas y secas tropicales, en los diferentes usos productivos que son implementados al suelo, procesos llevados a cabo, a partir del reconocimiento y la integración social de comunidades campesinas y bajo un enfoque pedagógico participativo.
E-mail: raovicel@correo.uis.edu.co y ricardoandres.oviedoc@um.es
Sandra Milena Díaz López
She holds a Master’s degree in Forest Management, Use and Conservation and a degree in Forestry Engineering from the Francisco José de Caldas District University, and is a specialist in Geographic Information Systems from the Antonio Nariño University.
Currently a lecturer and researcher at the Industrial University of Santander (UIS) within the Institute for Outreach and Distance Education (IPRED), at the Málaga Regional Campus (Santander, Colombia), on the Forestry Engineering programme in the areas of geomatics, geographic information systems, silviculture and natural forest restoration.
Her professional, academic and research experience includes urban silviculture, forest soils, geographic information systems and the ecophysiological assessment of native and exotic species. Research focused on the spectral response of vegetation, through the analysis of multispectral satellite imagery and imagery acquired using unmanned aerial vehicles for the study of land cover, which is incorporated into the mapping of ecosystem services, phenological studies, disease detection, analysis of changes in vegetation cover and landscape ecology.
She supervises degree theses focusing on the analysis of spatiotemporal changes in Andean vegetation cover, and the analysis of forest fragmentation and connectivity in the García Rovira and Cundinamarca regions of Colombia; these studies have been incorporated into research projects and scientific publications.
Active member of the Latin American Forestry Education Network (RELAFOR) and the Research Group on Agricultural Sciences and Ecology (GICAE).
E-mail: smdiazl@correo.uis.edu.co y smdiazl09@gmail.com
Mexico
Concepción Luján Álvarez
He holds a PhD in Sustainable Development and Participatory Strategic Planning from New Mexico State University, USA, and has completed a Master’s degree in Sustainable Forestry Development at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineering at the Michoacán University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo, and a Forestry Technician qualification at the National Forestry School of Mexico. He is currently a full-time Professor and Researcher at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, specialising in forestry and sustainable development at Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD levels. He speaks Spanish and English.
He has received honours such as an honorary doctorate in Peru, the National Forestry Merit Award, and the State Award for Science, Technology and Innovation in Chihuahua, amongst others. He has nearly four decades of experience in research, teaching and innovation in the social and forestry sciences, having authored and co-authored scientific articles, books and chapters. Furthermore, he participates in national and international forestry research networks and acts as an evaluator for accreditation and certification processes, as well as for scientific publications.
He is a member of various organisations such as the International Organisation for Inclusion and Educational Quality (OIICE), the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO), the National Academy of Forestry Sciences of Mexico, and other associations related to the forestry sector.
E-mail: clujan12@hotmail.com
Panama
Sandra Sharry
She is a leading Argentine professional in the fields of biology, biotechnology and university teaching, with over three decades of experience in research, teaching and academic administration. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, specialising in Botany, and a PhD in Natural Sciences from the National University of La Plata (UNLP), where she has also served as Dean and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. Her career includes supervising doctoral and master’s theses, as well as training staff on undergraduate and postgraduate courses in biotechnology, bioethics and environmental sciences.
She has led innovative projects in applied biotechnology, the conservation of genetic resources and regional bioeconomics, notably for the development of the first genetically modified tree in Argentina. Her expertise encompasses the propagation, conservation and improvement of native, ornamental, medicinal and food species using advanced biotechnologies. She has worked as a consultant for companies and international organisations, contributing to the development of plant protection products and biotechnology projects within MERCOSUR.
Recognised for her career achievements, she has received awards from organisations such as the REDBIO International Foundation and ASDIN, and has participated in scientific networks such as REDBIO and REDFOR.ar, as well as global initiatives such as the International Bioeconomy Forum. Her academic output includes books, book chapters and articles in indexed journals, as well as papers presented at international conferences. With a solid academic background and international training, she is a leading figure in sustainable development and scientific innovation in Latin America.
A Senior Consultant and project evaluator, she is currently Director of the AIP National Research System in Panama and Professor and Director of the PhD programme in Exact and Natural Sciences at the National University of Río Negro, Argentina.
E-mail: ssharry@gmail.com
Paraguay
Enrique Asterio Benítez León
Bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineering from the National University of Asunción (2004). Master’s degree (2010) and PhD (2014) in Forestry Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil. He is a specialist in University Teaching from the FCA-UNA and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Professional and Technological Education with a specialisation in Natural Resources from the Federal University of Santa Maria (2012).
A Level I Researcher with the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), he participates in national and international research groups (Brazil and Argentina), carrying out work on the propagation and study of genetic variability in forest species. He has presented various scientific papers at international events and has publications in international journals in the field of Agricultural Sciences.
He is one of the main driving forces behind the BAAPA Forest Seed Conservation Centre, which has been operating at the FCA-UNA since 2017. He is the coordinator of research projects funded by CONACYT-Paraguay (2016–2018 and 2019–2021), carrying out various studies on the management and conservation of forest genetic resources classified under different threat categories (MADES, IUCN).
Supervisor of undergraduate and master’s theses on topics related to the management and conservation of forest genetic resources, carrying out research on the characterisation of forest species seeds, the selection of seed trees based on juvenile plant characteristics, and the study of the phenology of forest species in different ecosystems, amongst other areas.
From 2015 to June 2022, he was a full-time research lecturer at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences – National University of Asunción (FCA-UNA). He is a reviewer of scientific articles for national and international journals. From 2015 to 2023, he was Editor-in-Chief of the journal Investigación Agraria, published by the FCA-UNA.
He currently serves as Director of the Forestry Engineering Programme at the FCA – UNA.
E-mail: ebenitezleon@agr.una.py
Peru
Berenice del Milagro Fernández Heaton
She has a degree in Forestry Engineering and over three years’ professional experience as an environmental specialist.
She has coordinated and participated in the preparation of environmental management documents, sector-specific authorisations and field surveys for the establishment of environmental baselines. She also has experience in preparing applications for deforestation permits. The projects in which she has been involved are mainly in the agricultural, energy and mining sectors.
E-mail: berenicefernandezheaton@gmail.com
Ethel Rubin de Celis Llanos
She holds a degree in Forestry Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She also holds a Master’s degree in Higher Education Sciences and a PhD in Forestry Engineering from the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil.
She has over 20 years’ experience in the interpretation of satellite imagery, with a focus on deforestation, land use and land-use change, as well as in threat analysis and the modelling of future scenarios.
She has experience in university teaching, quality assurance and accreditation in higher education programmes. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Forest Management at the Faculty of Forest Sciences of the National Agrarian University of La Molina (FCF-UNALM). She serves as Director of the Professional School of the Forestry Engineering Programme and as a member of the Quality and Accreditation Committee for the Forestry Engineering Programme at UNALM.
From 2017 to 2018, she was the National Technical Coordinator of the Peru Observation Room for the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation’s (ACTO) Project on Monitoring Deforestation, Forest Utilisation and Land-Use Change in Pan-Amazonian Forests. She is currently the Coordinator of the FCF-UNALM Peru Observation Room.
E-mail: erubin@lamolina.edu.pe
College of Forestry, Oregon State University
René Zamora
René is a forestry economist and currently an Associate Professor in the Strachan Chair of Forest Operations Management within the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management at the College of Forestry, Oregon State University. He served as Senior Manager of Restoration Policy for the Global Restoration Initiative within WRI’s Food, Forests, Water and Oceans Programme. He worked directly with the 20x20 Initiative and AFR100 within the framework of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to advance restoration policies and public incentives for their implementation. He is the lead author of the World Resources Reports, Healing the Wounded Earth: The Role of Public Economic Incentives in Scaling Up Restoration Efforts in Six Latin American Countries, and the Landscape Restoration Sustainability Index. He is also co-author of the guide ‘The Path to Restoration’, the AURORA web application and the report ‘Roots for Prosperity: The Economics and Finance of Land Restoration’.
René’s previous work involved developing economic optimisation models and conducting investment analyses for private companies in the areas of strategic, tactical and operational forest planning. This included the design and implementation of various landscape management plans with multiple ecological and economic objectives in Guatemala, Mozambique, Chile and the United States. He also worked as a principal investigator for the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance to assess the economics and sustainability of producing aviation biofuels from forest harvest residues in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. He has served as a researcher and lecturer at Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala (Department of Forest Management) and at the University of the Valley in Guatemala (Department of Forest Engineering). He is currently an assistant professor at Oregon State University (Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management).
René holds a degree in Forestry Engineering from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, a Master of Science in Forest Resources with a specialisation in Forest Economics and Wood Products from the Universidad Austral de Chile, and a PhD in Forest Engineering from Oregon State University (USA), with a specialisation in Operations Research and Economics. In 2019, the Executive Board of the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) awarded him the Global Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research in recognition of his outstanding individual scientific achievements and to encourage his work in the field of forestry research. He is a member of the IUFRO Working Group on Forestry Education and coordinator of the Sustainable Forest Operations for Landscape Restoration Unit.
E-mail: rene.zamora@oregonstate.edu
RELAFOR
Latin American Network for Forestry Education
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