Dr Ada Sanchez-Mercado
Casual Academic
PhD. Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research, Ecology Center. Caracas, Venezuela.
Science
School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences
Biologist with PhD in Ecology from Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research. Ten years of research experience in conservation biology of vertebrate and invertebrate species, with emphasis in modeling and quantitative ecology. Experience leading and conducting research focused on animal species distribution patterns, species threats monitoring, and human dimension of wildlife conservation, helping NGOs and research teams design evidence-based, efficient conservation actions through innovative analytical approaches to make the most out of the available data. Studies and research experience in Venezuela, South Africa, and the USA.
E-mail
Location
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Level 5, E26 Biological Science South
UNSW Australia
Sydney NSW 2052
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
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Neotropical Bird Club Conservation Award (2016, 2018, 2019)
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Round Up for Conservation - Smithsonian Institute (2017)
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Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (2014)
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2013 EOL Rubenstein Fellow program (2013)
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Postdoctoral fellowship Threatened Species Program, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
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Researcher Promotion Program Fellowship, Venezuela (2011-2012)
During her career, Ada has specialized in selecting and applying the proper analytical tools to account for the effects of taxonomic, geographic and temporal biases in the data or, in other words, fitting beautiful models to make the most out of “ugly” data from different sources in order to address applied conservation questions: How to find potential reintroduction areas? How to tackle illegal wildlife networks? How to identify areas with high habitat quality and low anthropological risk? Her vision is that conservation actions are based in the best and more updated scientific information, for which Ada promote evidence-based conservation action approaches.
Ada's analytical skills include high levels of proficiency in R programing language, particularly in predictive models for species distribution, occupancy models, analysis of diversity patterns, and multivariate and spatial statistics.
Memberships
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Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULI) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
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Society for Conservation Biology
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Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología
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Red Siskin Initiative