New Director of Terrestrial Science

The Charles Darwin Foundation Welcomes Dr. Rodolfo Martínez

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) is pleased to welcome Dr. Rodolfo Martínez as Director of Terrestrial Science. Dr. Martínez is a Mexican national with considerable experience in environmental and restoration initiatives in natural and human-modified systems including soils, forestry, watersheds, climate, agriculture, and GIS monitoring.   Former director, Dr. Mark Gardener, will resume his position as CDF Coordinator of Restoration.

Dr. Martínez is a graduate of the University of Chapingo in Mexico. After obtaining a Master of Science degree in Agronomy and Soil Science at the University of Hawaii, he launched his professional career in environmental science and sustainable development as the Head of Feasibility Studies for the Department of Agriculture of the State Government of Veracruz, Mexico. Together with the technical aspects of these studies, Dr. Martínez participated in the establishment of partnership agreements with community groups, agricultural organizations and other government institutions to best determine project feasibility not only from the natural resources perspective, but also from important socio-economic aspects.

After ten years with the State Government of Veracruz, Dr. Martínez returned to the University of Hawaii for doctoral studies in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. During this period, he made significant contributions to the study of forest ecosystems in Hawaii through the development of GIS and remote sensing methodologies to map individual tree species, monitor forest ecosystems across entire regions, assess changes in forest health caused by varying climatic and soil fertility conditions and the incidence of pests and diseases, and to identify areas with higher distributions of endangered tree species.

Dr. Martínez observes that:  “Several areas of Galapagos have been heavily impacted by agriculture, ranching, introduced plants and urban expansion. These activities have contributed to soil degradation which greatly affects the health of terrestrial ecosystems, reduces critical habitat for native flora and fauna, and facilitates invasion by introduced species.” CDF Executive Director Dr. Gabriel López anticipates that: “Dr. Martínez’s experience will be highly valuable in working with our close partners, the Galápagos National Park (GNP), and agencies of the Government of Ecuador to implement efficient monitoring strategies for terrestrial ecosystems and to achieve a more complete assessment of ecological conditions at the species level across the islands.”

For more information:

alex.ontaneda@fcdarwin.org.ec