Martha
Bonilla-Moheno
Research Scientist
Instituto de Ecología, A.C.
I am a biologist (UNAM, Mexico), with a PhD in Environmental Studies (University of California, Santa Cruz). I was a postdoctoral fellow in the biology department at the University of Puerto Rico. Since 2011 I have been a researcher in the department of Environment and Sustainability at the Instituto de Ecología (Inecol) in Xalapa, Mexico. I am interested in issues related to global change. My research seeks to understand the impact that humans have as promoters of change in ecosystems, particularly in tropical forests. In my research I combine spatial data on land cover with environmental, social and demographic information to determine the factors that most influence land use change, at various scales, from localities to biomes. In addition, using the principles of restoration ecology, I try to identify the barriers that prevent the recovery of forest tree species, looking for mechanisms that accelerate this process.