CSF Fellows

Picture of Marcela Aguirre

Marcela Aguirre

Southern Tropical Andes Fellows Program, Quito, Ecuador

Marcela Aguirre estimated the opportunity costs of avoided deforestation near the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve in Ecuador. The results will guide the setting of the conservation payments actually currently by the Socio-Forest program. She is an economist who works in the Environmental Fund of Ecuador. This project was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Picture of Pierina Benites

Pierina Benites

Southern Tropical Andes Fellows Program, Lima, Perú

Pierina Benites conducted research to estimate the entrance fee to National Park Tingo Maria in Peru. This park is the third most visited in the country and current charges only apply to one of the many attractions of the park. The results will allow the charges to be adjusted to a demand function, which will contribute to greater revenues and more efficient management. Pierina is an economist at the Universidad Agraria La Molina in Peru. This project was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Elena Borasino

Southern Tropical Andes Fellows Program, Lima, Perú

Elena Borasino has developed a possible investigation of environmental costs generated by the emission of greenhouse gases from hydroelectric dam Inambari. The 2,000 MW dam is the first of a series of hydroelectric dams planned in the Peruvian Amazon. The results indicate whether the dam will generate more emissions than alternative sources of electricity. Elena is an economist graduate from the University of Houdini and is pursuing a master's degree in economic development in the Netherlands. This project was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Picture of Sophia Espinoza

Sophia Espinoza

Southern Tropical Andes Fellows Program, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Sophia's development research identifies the impacts of the implementation of regulatory standards in hunting activities carried out by indigenous and peasant communities in Pilon Lajas National Park in Bolivia. The methods used in this study correspond to experimental economics and represent progress in implementing these tools in the region. Sophia is an economist graduate from the University of San Simon in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and is starting her graduate studies at the University of Concepcion in Chile. This project was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Picture of Daniel Leguía

Daniel Leguía

Southern Tropical Andes Fellows Program, La Paz, Bolivia

Daniel Leguia has researched the opportunity costs of forest conservation within the margins of three roads in the Amazon region of Bolivia. The results are expressed in terms of cost per ton of carbon dioxide emissions avoided through forest conservation. This data can be used for the design of a REDD project or any financial incentive for conservation. Daniel is an economist graduate from Catholic University in La Paz, Bolivia. This project was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Picture of Carlos Solís

Carlos Solís

Southern Tropical Andes Fellows Program, La Paz, Bolivia

Carlos Solís' research was an econometric analysis to guide strategy for the expansion of tourism in the North of La Paz, Bolivia. The study evaluated the tourism demand for three sites - Madidi, Pilon Lajas and Yucuma Pampas. The results of this research will guide decision makers in shaping policies that will encourage an increase in flow of tourists to Pilon Lajas. These recommendations will be aimed to complement the attractions of the other two areas. Carlos is an economist who has a degree from the Universidad Mayor de San Simon in Cochabamba. He received an award from his university for the best thesis in economics in 2010. This project was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

CSF has joined forces with local Bolivian groups on all of our projects in that country. Currently CSF is implementing a variety of projects in conjunction with and under the fiscal sponsorship of FUNDECO, a local conservation non-governmental organization.