Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Role of Anthropogenic and Natural Disturbances in 20th Century Woodland Changes in the Region of Vacas, Bolivia

该项目研究了世纪期间自然和人为干扰在安第斯山脉高海拔森林中的作用。 将采用基于定量和定性方法的多学科方法来收集和解释有关社会和生态过程的实地和档案数据。 工作假设有三个方面：（1）人类和自然干扰的相对作用反映在森林的分布，结构和组成;（2）个别森林斑块有不同程度的稳定性;（3）当地对森林的看法是可变的，并影响森林的使用。 将为增进安第斯中部地区生态系统动态和人类-环境相互作用的知识作出贡献，并加强植物地理学和环境地理学的理论基础。 这是一个博士论文改进奖。

The project examines the role of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in high-elevation Andean forests during the 20th Century. A multi-disciplinary approach based in quantitative and qualitative methods will be used to collect and interpret field and archived data on social and ecological processes. The working hypotheses are threefold: (1) the relative roles of human and natural disturbances are reflected in the distribution, structure, and composition of forests; (2) individual forest patches have different levels of stability: and (3) local perceptions toward forests are variable and influential in forest use. Contributions to the advancement of knowledge of ecosystem dynamics and human-environment interactions in the central Andean region will be made, as well as enhancements to the theoretical foundations of plant biogeography and environmental geography. This is a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award.