Samuel Eduardo Otavo graduated with a BS in forestry engineering from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas and holds a PhD in Forestry Sciences, completing academic studies in statistics and biodiversity conservation. He is a founding member of IALE-Chile and has been a visiting professor at nationally and internationally renowned universities. He has carried out research on landscape ecology, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable land use in the provision of ecosystem services.
He is interested in conducting research that applies the science of sustainability to landscapes that are naturally, socially, and culturally megadiverse, and research that assesses public policies and planning activities and strategies in order to formulate new multi-scale models that are practical and sustainable and that guarantee social wellbeing, while maintaining a balance between human development and environmental protection. He has been carrying out research in the Colombian Amazon since 2008, starting with the research for his undergraduate dissertation, which won a Colombia Biodiversa Scholarship.
