Jose Maria

Jose Maria is a Mexican biologist deeply interested in the intertwined relationship between nature and society, focusing on ecology and conservation.

He is currently affiliated with the Forest & Nature Conservation Policy Group at Wageningen University as a PhD researcher. His academic work, aligned with his background, combines ecological and interdisciplinary approaches.

During his BSc. in Biology, he specialised in plant population ecology in central Mexico, while his MSc. in Conservation centred on protected area governance and management in southern Mexico.

This trajectory has enabled him to conduct research employing both quantitative and qualitative
methods, and to gain professional experience working with Indigenous communities, government agencies, research institutions, and NGOs.

His current research focuses on understanding how power dynamics in decision-making processes shape the governance of protected areas in Central America, and how these dynamics influence social and ecological outcomes.