My main research interest is to understand what determines biodiversity in mountain regions, by studying the impact of climate dynamics at various time scales (past, present, future). I am particularly interested in the way how historical environmental factors (climate and geology) and humans influenced contemporary biodiversity patterns. I have a strong backgroung in spatial analysis using GIS and Remote sensing in a range of different topics in macroecology, biogeography and palaeoecology. Most of my work has dealt with mountains and the tropics where I also have organized and participated in numerous field expeditions of the Northern and Central Andes, and savanna lowlands. I also supervise students and lecture in courses, organize scientific events, and take responsibility in committees. In addition, I am passionate about communicating my research to a broader audience through the use of video (see Communication) and talks about sustainability.

Since April-2022 I am leading the lab called the Mountain in Motion, funded as a Startup Grant by Trond Mohn Foundation and the Dept of Biological Science, UiB. The aim of the lab is to understand present-day mountain biodiversity from a short and long-term perspective and link expertise from biosphere, geosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere to move our understanding of these regions forward to better conserve them in the future. 

See here more for information on the projects and the team: https://mountainsinmotion.w.uib.no/

PUBLIC OUTREACH: 

• Publication “Minienciclopedia del Paramo”: Together with an interdisciplinary team that comprises artists, science communicators, evolutionary biologists, and ecologists has crafted a scientific children’s book on the alpine ecosystems of the northern Andes. Link 1, Link 2
• Participation in Environmental film festivals:
  • ‘Sky islands: A time travel of the Andes Mountains’ by C. Giraldo, S.G.A. Flantua, and H. Hooghiemstra (Link)
  • Official Selection at international festivals screened in Angola, Australia, Brazil, Burkina, Colombia, Faso, Ethiopia, Hungary, Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, United States.
  • Awards:
    • Honorable Mention in the first edition of #EcoBrasil Fest. 22-29 April 2021.
    • Best Life Sciences Documentary of the #Sci-On Film Festival The Biggest Little Science + Fiction Film Festival in the World. 4-9 May 2021.
    • Excellence #Nature Without Borders International Film Festival, Nassau, Delaware, United States. 6 June, 2021.
• Open Day Amsterdam Science Park. Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2018). ‘Sky islands: A time travel of the Andes Mountains’.  Short movie.
• Youtube video Sky islands: A time travel of the Andes Mountains (>10,000 views), on the biogeographical history of the high Andean páramos during the last 1 million years (2017)
• Open Day Amsterdam Science Park. Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2016). ‘Fieldwork through time:  From microscopes to mountain tops’. Presentation.
• Forum for the regional planning of sustainable oil palm production in Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia. (2016). ‘Landscape connectivity at a regional scale’ (In Spanish). Presentation. 

MEDIA COVERAGE:

• Publications featured on websites of University of Amsterdam, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute website, University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
• Papers featured in newspapers and scientific websites: Science paper (2023) on rates of change caused by humans in the Amazon basin, Science paper (2021) on global rates of vegetation change, Journal of Biogeography paper (2019) on the biogeographic history of the Andean páramos, Nature Geoscience paper (2018) on mountain biodiversity, and Science paper (2015) on the closing of the Panama Isthmus (2015).
• My work featured in National Geographic
• Opinion piece published in Norwegian newspaper Dag og Tid (Norwegian) on “Critical transitions in the Amazon forest system” in Nature (2024). Link to PDF.
• Radio interviews:
  • NPO radio (Dutch): About our paper in Science 2023 on the Amazonian rates of change.
  • BBC Inside Science. Human use of plants beyond the limits of history. (May 2021)
  • BBC Vroege Vogels. Birding and research in Norway (Dec 2020)
  • BBC Radio 4. Interview and report on fieldwork expeditions in Colombia. Boyacá Plants-for-life project. Royal Botanical Garden Kew, UK (Feb 2018)

University of Bergen

• Teacher on Macroecology in BIO301A Current Topics in Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology
• Participant in UPED659B 25H / Leveraging Large Language Models and Artificial Intelligence for Teaching and Learning (15 hours)
• Participant in UPED600E 25V Course ‘Introduction to Teaching at University and Course Design’ in the Program of University Pedagogy, University of Bergen.
• Participant in Workshop ‘Introduction to Teaching and Course Design’ and ‘Effective Supervision’ (15h) in the Program of University Pedagogy, University of Bergen.

University of Amsterdam

• Practicum assistant GIS and Geospatial analysis, Bachelor course Digital Earth, Future planet studies, University of Amsterdam
• Practicum assistant GIS, Geospatial analysis and Databases, Bachelor course Biodiversity & Global Change, Biological Sciences, University of Amsterdam
• Lecturer Bachelor course Biodiversity & Global Change, Biological Sciences, University of Amsterdam
• Lecturer, practicum and field work assistant, Bachelor course Palaeoecology, Biological Sciences, University of Amsterdam

Colombia

• Coordinator and lecturer, Master course ‘Introduction to environmental information systems at national and international level, GIS and Remote Sensing’ including a hands-on workshop on the use of Quantum GIS. (In Spanish). In collaboration with M. Romero, 4D Elements Consultores, University of Tunja, Colombia.
• Coordinator and lecturer, Master course ‘Introduction to environmental information systems at national and international level, GIS and Remote Sensing, with emphasis on environmental management in the Orinoco basin’. (In Spanish) In collaboration with M. Romero, 4D Elements Consultores. Universidad de los Llanos, Colombia.
• Coordinator and lecturer, Pre-congress training course ‘Chronology and integration of spatial and temporal data in paleo-environmental interpretations’, LOTRED –SA Symposium. Medellin-Colombia
• Coordinator and lecturer, Workshop ‘Capacity building in Biotechnology and Bio-security. Impacts and opportunities for socio-ecosystems’ (In Spanish). 4D Elements Consultores – NGP Seguridad Alimentaria – SENA. Bogotá-Colombia.
• Coordinator online courses. Introduction to Sustainability; Sustainable landscape design. (In Spanish). Asesorías de Diseño Sostenible. Medellin-Colombia.
• English Teacher, ESL Institute. Manizales, Colombia.

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

https://mountainsinmotion.w.uib.no/research/

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF ALPINE BIOMES WORLDWIDE - PPF-ALPINE

PPF-Alpine is a ongoing project aiming to develop a mechanistic understanding of the role of the dynamic past in shaping present-day patterns of mountain biodiversity, sourcing and integrating knowledge from a range of different disciplines. Funded by the Trond Mohn Foundation (TMS) and University of Bergen.

GLACIMONTIS

GLACIMONTIS is an ongoing research project dedicated to understanding the extent of mountain glaciers during past cold periods, with a focus on the Last Glacial Maximum (~21,000 years ago) and the last glacial cycle (the last 130,000 years). The project reconstructs glaciers in mountains worldwide with cutting edge techniques and compiles paleoglacier reconstructions from published studies into a global open-access geodatabase, integrating geomorphological mapping, chronological data, and glacier modelling outputs. 

CONNECT-EVOLVE

This project brings together expertise in ecology, evolutionary biology, and climate science to uncover how past climate changes and the rugged Andean topography influenced the distribution and diversification of plants in the páramo. By integrating cutting-edge models, genetic insights, and detailed plant records, we aim to shed light on the historical forces that generated such spectacular richness. We will look into the relationship between dispersal modes from several "paramo" plants, their phylogenies, and their biogeographical histories. 

ECO-SPACE

ECO-SPACE is a project aimed to our students at BIO and UiB to address a critical gap in Norway’s higher education: the lack of geospatial training for biology and environmental science students that integrates Universal Design (UD) principles. This project aims to develop educational material that will combine GIS, Remote Sensing, and spatial analysis with ecological and environmental applications, ensuring that students learn to create accessible, inclusive, and impactful geospatial products. 

GEO-BRIDGE: UiB collaborative platform for GIS/RS methods in landscape analysis in a changing world

GEO-BRIDGE currently brings together researchers from the UIB, spanning the Departments of Earth Science, Biology, Geography, Physics, and Archaeology—representing three faculties. For projects, monthly seminars and workshops, we have established a collaborative partnership with the Theoretical and Computational Ecology group at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). See more here: https://ppf-alpine.github.io/geobridge/

The Mini-Encyclopedia of the Páramos

An interdisciplinary team that comprises artists, science communicators, evolutionary biologists, and ecologists has crafted a scientific children’s book, “La Minienciclopedia del Páramo”. This book, distributed free thanks to local institutions, blends art and science to educate about the alpine ecosystem in the high-elevation areas of the Northern Andes, across Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. “La Minienciclopedia del Páramo” aims to share scientific knowledge for young minds. With financial support from Hugo de Vries Foundation in Amsterdam, we have distributed >1000s books in Colombia this year and we will work on a translation to Dutch, English, and Norwegian. https://laenciclopediadelparamo.com/en/

COLLABORATIONS

DRONE-WILLOW-BUMBLEBEE project

This project uses drone-based remote sensing and fieldwork at Finse, Norway, to map male and female willow density and link it to bumblebee abundance, to understand how climate-driven shrub expansion impacts alpine biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Led by Ørjan Totland (BIO-UiB) in collaboration with Ben Robson (Department of Earth Science) 

BIODYNAMICS

The BIODYNAMICS project aims to address the need for predicting biodiversity and ecosystem alteration under global climate change. By investigating local processes of species interactions, BIODYNAMICS will contribute crucial insights into how these interactions shape continental and global biodiversity patterns over the past 20 thousand years (ka). BIODYNAMICS will develop innovative approaches that allow estimating ecosystem functioning, especially the essential biotic interactions, at 3 major ecological scales (spatial, temporal, and taxonomic), spanning from individual plants in local sites to whole continents and from 20 ka to the present. Led by Ondřej Mottl. See https://ondrejmottl.github.io/projects/BIODYNAMICS/