Quantitative Techniques in Participatory Forest Management

Eugenio Martinez-Falero, PhD, is a full professor at the UPM (Technical University of Madrid), chairman of the Accreditation Board of the Universities of the Madrid Region, and managing director of "Madrid: Fundacion para el Conocimiento." In his academic life, Dr. Martinez-Falero is a professor of applied statistics and operational research. He has been director of the Department of Forestry Management at the UPM and a fellow of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York (SUNY). He has been consultant for the FAO and an external examiner for the University of Wales. His research focuses on developing quantitative techniques for analysis, simulation, and management of natural systems and on methodologies for analyzing systems of preferences in decision making. He has been director of the Department of Industry, Energy and Mining of the Madrid Regional Government and has also served on the governing boards of various institutions such as the Madrid Institute for Development (IMADE), the Madrid Center for Technology, Gestion y Desarrollo del Medio Ambientede Madrid (GEDESMA), and the Madrid Institute of Food and Agricultural Research. His other positions include being chairman of the Steering Committee of Scientific- Technological Parks in Madrid and a member of the Interdepartmental Commission on Science and Technology. Susana Martin-Fernandez, PhD, has led a multifaceted career in which she has worked as a consultant for leading ICT companies, conducted research into a more effective application of heuristic and combinatorial methods in forest management, and taught statistics and operational research at the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes at the Technical University of Madrid. Her research over the past 13 years has centered on improving the decision-making process in forest management and territory planning, specifically in forestry activities and optimal land use assignments. The results of her research have been relayed to forest companies and institutions. Dr. Martin-Fernandez currently serves as associate professor in the Department of Economy and Forest Management and as deputy director of academic planning and faculty at the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes. She has previously served as director of the Research Laboratory for Remote Sensing Applied to Natural Resources and Landscape Management. Antonio D. Garcia-Abril, PhD, currently serves as head of the research group Methods and Techniques for Sustainable Management (Technical University of Madrid). He has been associate professor of landscape planning, landscape ecology, and project engineering at the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes in Madrid (Forestry School, UPM) since 1991. He has worked in collaboration with the European Commission and also has professional experience as a consultant. Antonio Garcia-Abril has been responsible for many research projects and has worked on a number of projects for companies and government bodies. His research interests include areas such as landscape planning, biodiversity conservation, remote sensing applied to forest structure and forest management, environmental impact studies, and close-to-nature management. He has 68 publications, 27 of which are in international publications.