Research Expertise and Interest

conservation science, neotropical biodiversity, conservation psychology, community ecology, cultural values of nature, women/Latinx in STEM

Research Description

Alejandra Echeverri Ochoa is a biodiversity conservation scientist, professor, science communicator, and advocate for women, Latinx, and youth in STEM. Dr Echeverri’s research sits at the intersection of Neotropical ornithology, conservation psychology, environmental policy, and community ecology. Dr Echeverri’s lab integrates biological field work (such as bird surveys) with quantitative social surveys and qualitative content analysis to understand human relationships with nature. Specifically, she studies how people's behaviors towards the environment (such as habitat conversion) impact the species that live in such environments. She also studies peoples’ attitudes and behaviors towards biodiversity, and the interrelationships between nature and culture to advance the science on biocultural conservation. Her work is coproduced with local communities, governments, and policymakers to codevelop and inform environmental policies.

Echeverri is a National Geographic Young Explorer and a United Nations Youth advocate. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes Science, Elle magazine Canada, Nature News and various newspapers and media outlets across the world. She was born and raised in the coffee-growing region of Colombia. Her experiences as a Latina in STEM who has held positions in the Norwegian Peace Corps, as an environmental consultant in Colombia, and as a scientist in Canada and the United States inform her practice as a conservation scientist and professor. She is committed to producing good science, training the next generation of conservation scientists, and codeveloping evidence-based policies with governments and local communities so that we can have a better world for people and for many other species with whom we share our planet.