Hugo A. Valdebenito
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
PO Box17-12-841
Quito, Ecuador
Phone: 2895-723/24/25 ext. 422, 424
email: hugo@usfq.edu.ec
Education
Ph.D. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. , Department of Botany. Dissertation: "Evolution of Erigeron (Compositae) and Peperomia (Piperaceae) in the Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile. 1989.
Licenciatura, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile. Department of Oceanography and Marine Biology. Marine Biologist. Thesis: "Antibiotic activity of Laurencia chilensis De Toni, Forti et Howe, 1920 (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales)." 1981.
Major fields of study
Insular Floras, Natural Resource Management and Plant Taxonomy.
Languages
| Language |
Conversation |
Reading |
Writing |
| Spanish |
Native |
Native |
Native |
| English |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Present Position
| 1997 - present |
Dean, School of Life Sciences. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. |
| 1989 - present |
Professor, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. Natural Resources of Ecuador, Elements of Ecology, Flora of Ecuador, General Biogeography, Plant Biology, General Vascular Plant Taxonomy, and various courses related to the Galapagos Islands (Flora and its conservation).
|
Employment Experience
a) Research and Management
| 1989 - 1993 |
Head, Terrestrial Plants Program, Charles Darwin Research Station, Galapagos, Ecuador. Duties: Conservation of Galapagos Flora and its natural resources (i.e., assessment of endemic and native plants; recommendation of measures for conservation of flora and habitats; development and promotion of alternative native and non-native timber resources; promotion of public awareness in relation to native and introduced flora; supervision and training of Ecuadorian university students, supervision of a core of eight people, produced reports and research projects). |
| 1980 - 1989 |
Various positions as a Teaching Associate and Research Associate at: Universidad de Concepción (Chile) and Ohio State University. |
b) Academic Activities
| 1993 – 1997 |
Professor, School of Environmental Sciences. Head of the Ecology Department, Universidad San Francisco de Quito. |
Professional Society Memberships
American Society of Plant Taxonomists
American Association for the Advancement of Science
International Association for Plant Taxonomy
Association for Tropical Biology
Research Grants Awarded
| 1995 - 1997 |
Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (SANREM) program, Grant USFQ-ES/95-97 EC- US-AID. "Characterization of Plant Biodiversity and Current and Potential use of Forestry Resources in the Alambi River Basin (Province of Pichincha, Ecuador). US$94,404 |
| 1992 - 1993 |
European Community, Grant B75040/91/037 "Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador." (ECU's 210,000; granted to the Charles Darwin Foundation). |
| 1991 - 1992 |
US-AID Ecuador, grant 518-0107-G-00-1127 "Biological Diversity: Plant Conservation for the Galapagos Islands." (US $100,000, granted to the Charles Darwin Foundation). |
| 1984 - 1991 |
Several minor grants (from US $1,500 to US $15,500). |
Awards
| 1988 |
Short Term Enrichment Program (STEP) Award to attend the 38th American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) Annual Meeting at University of California, Davis. August 14-18. Awarded by the American Institute of Biological Sciences. |
| 1987 |
American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) Herbarium travel award. To visit different herbaria in the United States. |
| 1984 |
Award to attend the 150th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), New York, May 24-29. Awarded by AAAS. |
| 1982 |
Fulbright travel fellowship. To fund round-trip travel to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies. |
| 1981 - 1982 |
Research Fellowship for training in Chemistry of Natural Products, granted by the Research Foundation, Universidad de Concepción, Chile. |
Fieldwork
| 1989 - 1996 |
Northwest Ecuador (Nanegal area) and Galapagos Islands. Research, plant collecting and photography throughout the archipelago. |
| 1987 |
Peru and Bolivia. Research and plant collecting. |
| 1980,84,86 |
Juan Fernández Islands (Chile). Research and plant collecting. |
| 1979 - 1981 |
Mainland Chile. Research and plant collecting. |
Publications, Seminars, Books Edited and Abstracts
A. Publications
Rivera, P. and H. Valdebenito. 1979. “Diatoms collected at the mouths of the
Chivilingo, Laraquete and Carampangue rivers, Chile,” Gayana Botánica No. 35, 98 pp.
Valdebenito, H., M. Bittner, P.G. Sammes, M. Silva, and W.H. Watson. 1982. “A
compound with antimicrobial activity isolated from the red seaweed Laurencia chilensis,” Phytochemistry 21(6): 1456-1457.
Valdebenito, H., M. Bittner, R. Zemelman, and M. Silva. 1982. “Some components
from the Chilean marine algae Laurencia chilensis,” Revista Latinoamericana de Quimica. 13: 37-49.
Valdebenito, H., T.K. Lowrey, and Tod F. Stuessy. 1986. “A new species of Erigeron (Compositae, Asteraceae) from Chile,” Brittonia 38: 1-3.
Bittner, M., F. Gonzales, H. Valdebenito, M. Silva, V.J. Paul, W. Fenical, M. Chen
and J. Clardy. 1986. “A novel tetracyclic polyketal from the marine alga Laurencia chilensis,” Tetrahedron Letters 28(35): 4031-4032.
Valdebenito, H., T.F. Stuessy and D.J. Crawford. 1990. “Synonymy in Peperomia
berteroana (Piperaceae) results in biological disjunction between Pacific and Atlantic Coasts,” Brittonia 42(2): 121-124.
Valdebenito, H., T.F. Stuessy and D.J. Crawford. 1990. “A new biogeographic connection between islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans,” Nature 347 (6293): 549-550.
Valdebenito, H., T.F. Stuessy and D.J. Crawford. 1992. “Evolution of Erigeron
(Compositae) in the Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile,” Systematic Botany 17(3): 470-480.
Valdebenito, H., T.F. Stuessy and D.J. Crawford. 1992. “Evolution of Peperomia
(Piperaceae) in the Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile,” Plant. Syst. Evol. 182(1/2): 107-1119.
Valdebenito, H. 1995. “Vegetation der Galápalos-Inseln und ihre Veranderung durch den Menschen,” Pflanzen- und Tierwelt der Galápagos-Inseln: Entstehung, Erforschung, Gefahrdung und Schutz ("Flora y Fauna de las Islas Galapagos: Origen, investigación, amenazas y Protección"). Kleine Senckenbergreihe No. 20: 44-53. (Spanish and German version).
Mauchamp, A., I. Aldaz, E. Ortiz and H. Valdebenito. 1998. “Threatened species, re-evaluation of the status of eight endemic plants of the Galapagos,” Biodiversity and Conservation 7: 97-107.
B. Seminars
Watershed Management in San Cristóbal Island (Galapagos): “Actions for its Management and Conservation.” Workshop, 17-23 November, 1990. Proceedings published by the Ilustre Municipalidad de San Cristóbal and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Organized and edited by H. Valdebenito and L. Prado.
Participant instructor in several courses addressed to Galapagos' naturalists guides. (Topics: General Ecology - Galapagos Flora). The last course was in October 2001.
C. Books Edited
Carrasco, A. and H. Valdebenito (eds.). 1987. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galapagos. Memorias del Taller sobre Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galapagos 342pp. This is a Spanish version of: Botanical Research and Management in Galapagos. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 32:I-XV, 1-301.
Prado, L. and H. Valdebenito (eds.). 2000. Contribución a la Fenología de Especies Forestales Nativas Andinas de Bolivia y Ecuador. Intercooperation. Quito, Ecuador.
D. Abstracts presented in meetings
Over 25 articles presented at International Symposia in The United States, Chile, Costa Rica and Ecuador. Topics: Insular Flora, Galapagos Flora, Plant Taxonomy and Evolution and Natural Vegetation Management.
E. Other publications
“Criterios Conceptuales Metodológicos de Trabajo Interinstitucional.” 1996. Documentos de Trabajo, Comite de Coordinacion Interinstitucional. Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (SANREM).
“Criterios para un Manejo Sustentable de los Recursos Naturales.” 1996. Documentos de Trabajo. Comite de Coordinacion Interinstitucional Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (SANREM).
Related Academic and Work Experience
| 1995 - 1996 |
President of the SANREM-Ecuador Executive Committee program. |
| 1994 - 1996 |
Member of the SANREM Global Technical Committee and the SANREM Environmental Education Committee. |
| 1999-2000 |
Vice-President, Ecuadorian Botanical Association (FUNBOTANICA) |
Attendance in Workshops/Meetings at different localities, .i.e. San Jose (Costa Rica) 11-15 April/95; Tuskegee (Alabama) 24-28 June/95; Little Rock (Arkansas) 19-24 November/95, Unicoi Park (Georgia) 21-27 April/96; The University of Georgia, 5-9 September/97.
Reviewing Activities
Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (SANREM) projects.
Relevant Consultancy Experience
- Consultant in the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (SANREM) project “Characterization of plant biodiversity and current and potential use of forestry and water resources in the Alambi river basin.” Province of Pichincha, Ecuador. 1993-1996.
- Consultant in the program: “Environmental impact assessment in Area 16, Ecuadorian jungle,” work for the oil company MAXUS. 1996.
- Consultant in the program “Environmental impact assessment of Cabuya processing around Cuellaje, Ecuador.” 1995.
- Consultant in the project: “National Strategy for Conservation and Sustainable Management of Ecuadorian Wildlife,” botany section. 1997-1998.
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