Barlin Orlando Olivares Campos completed his Ph.D. Cum Laude in Agricultural, Food, Forestry Engineering, and Sustainable Rural Development (International Mention) from the Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3) of the University of Cordoba (UCO), Spain (2022). He was awarded a scholarship from the Iberoamerican Postgraduate University Association (AUIP). His outstanding scientific activity earned him the UCO Extraordinary Ph.D Award in 2022 and the National Award for Relevant Doctoral Thesis from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in 2024. He is an Agricultural Engineer from the Faculty of Agronomy of the Central University of Venezuela (2009), obtaining the Recognition for the Best Final Degree Project and a master's degree in Environmental Technology from the International University of Andalusia, Spain (2015) through a Carolina Foundation scholarship. He started in the scientific field in 2008, when he obtained a scholarship to stay at the Water Center for Arid and Semi-arid Zones of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC) based in Chile, within the framework of the UNESCO International Hydrological Program. Later, he was a young researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) of Venezuela from September 2009 to January 2014, carrying out scientific activities and knowledge transfer to farmers. At the same time, he was an instructor professor in the agricultural climatology department of the National Experimental Polytechnic University of the Bolivarian Armed Forces. He was also a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies Foundation, Venezuela (IDEA), during August 2014 for the scientific-technical dissemination of agricultural biotechnology, and finally a researcher at the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, Venezuela (INAMEH) (January 2016- May 2017), generating scientific production of the agroecology zoning of crops. He has more than 15 years of experience in research on agri-food systems and has significantly advanced the generation of knowledge in agricultural sciences through the use of sophisticated algorithmic models of machine learning. He is currently a member of the Biodiversity Management Research Group (GESBIO) at the UCO, where he works as a data scientist developing the Federated Data Space for Citrus and as a consultant for the FAO in machine learning. Also, he is an honorary associate professor in Food Bromatology for the Bachelor's Degree in Food Science and Technology at the UCO. He is the author of an outstanding scientific production of journal articles, books, and chapters in book, also. He has participated in the supervision of thesis and conference presentations, and obtained various fellowships, accreditations, and recognitions, as well as participation in projects for the promotion and dissemination of science in agricultural spaces. He has carried out nine research stays in research institutes and universities of international prestige in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, and Panama.
Aníbal Rosales Hernández is an Agronomist, graduated from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in 1970. He obtained a Master of Science and a PhD from Cornell University, USA, in 1981. He is currently a retired professor of soils at UCV-Agronomy. He served as Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Soil Science and Director of the Soil Institute. He designed and established the national soil collection of Venezuela at UCV. With permission from UCV, he served as General Director of Information and Research at the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources of Venezuela, responsible for national inventories of water, soils, and vegetation. He established the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources and Biodiversity and the Amazon Environmental Research Center. He was a member of the Venezuelan Delegation for the preparation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and before the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). He was a professor of Watershed Management at the Center for Development Studies (CENDES) of UCV. He was a member of the Working Teams of the Hydroelectric Basin Evaluation Projects and the Upper Guárico River Basin, which supplies water to the capital city of Caracas. He has conducted and led environmental studies and soil and land evaluations, some for the energy and oil sector. He has been a consultant on environmental projects for the World Bank, the GEF (member of the PIF formulation team for the Canaima National Park project, Venezuela), and the Inter-American Development Bank. After he retired from UCV, he served as Operations Manager for the international environmental firm Ecology and Environment S.A., based in Caracas, leading environmental studies, especially in the oil and gas sector. He has participated in the following recent publications: (i) Coordinator of the Agriculture chapter of the 2nd Climate Change Report of Venezuela (ANIHVEN and ACFIMAN), ongoing until 2025; (ii) Team member (co-author) of the project "Strategies for Agro-Export in the Context of Future Development Scenarios of Venezuela." Orinoco Group and IICA 2023; (iii) Coordinator and co-author of the proceedings of the Forum-Workshop "Harmonization of Agricultural and Urban Uses for the Sustainable Development of the Lake Valencia Depression," Orinoco Group-SVCS-ANIHVEN 2021; (iv) Coordinator and co-author of the integrated watershed management plan: case of the upper Guárico River basin. IICA and Orinoco Group 2020; (v) Co-author of the works: "Mapping projected variations of temperature and precipitation due to climate change in Venezuela" and "Projected Effect of Climate Change on Land Suitability for Maize Cultivation in the Western Plains of Venezuela"; (vi) Promoter of the GeoVenezuela publication and co-author of the chapter "Soil Geography of Venezuela" Fundación Empresas Polar 2007; (vii) Co-editor of the book "Water in Venezuela: A Scarce Resource", and co-author of the following chapters: "Watersheds and Their Integrated Management," "Research and Human Resource Training Agenda for the Integrated Use of Water," and "Final Message." Fundación Empresas Polar, 2015, Caracas.
Jesús A. Viloria R. is an Agricultural Engineer who graduated from the Central University of Venezuela, where he also earned a Master of Science degree in Soil Science. His academic journey culminated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oxford in 1989, following his specialization in Photointerpretation Applied to Soil Studies at CIAF in Colombia. This solid academic background shaped his comprehensive vision to approach soil studies through science, technology, and territorial planning. For over twenty-five years, Dr. Viloria served as a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Agronomy of the Central University of Venezuela, teaching undergraduate, master's, and doctoral courses, while also holding leadership roles as Head of the Department of Soil Science and Director of the Institute of Soil Science. His passion for teaching is reflected in his supervision of more than 35 undergraduate and graduate research projects, mentoring generations of professionals committed to the sustainable management and conservation of soil resources. His intellectual production is extensive, authoring and co-authoring 39 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals, 29 technical publications and book chapters, and presenting 61 papers at national and international scientific events. These contributions have strengthened knowledge in areas such as soil science, agricultural land suitability analysis, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and quantitative geospatial data analysis. Currently, he combines his status as an Active Retired Professor with consultancy work for international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, IICA, and PRO-VITA, leading projects on soil analysis, mapping, and sustainable crop management across Latin America and Africa. His commitment to science and society continues to leave a profound mark on research and the development of solutions for rational soil and land management.
Laila Iskandar Nahas is an Agricultural Engineer who graduated from the Faculty of Agronomy at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in 1990, with postgraduate studies in Ecology at the Faculty of Sciences of the same institution, where she specialized in Landscape Ecology and Watershed Conservation. Throughout her academic and professional career, she has played key roles in training and disseminating knowledge on environmental, ecological, and sustainability topics. She was a founding professor of the Postgraduate Program in Environmental Engineering and the diploma course "Topics in Ecology, Environment, and Sustainability for University Teaching" at Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), where she also established the "Ecology, Environment, and Sustainability" Institutional Chair, which she has been teaching since 2015. Additionally, she has been a faculty member in the Geography School at UCV, teaching Soil Science, and at the School of Environmental Engineering at the Maritime University of the Caribbean, where she taught the course on Vegetation Cover Restoration. Her experience as an independent consultant covers various areas related to ecosystem conservation, watershed management, sustainable agriculture, agroforestry systems, and integrated water management. She has collaborated with institutions such as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Sociological Studies Foundation (FUNDES), Nestlé Venezuela, the Provincial Bank Foundation, HIDROCAPITAL, Empresas Polar Foundation, and the Hatillo Municipality, participating in capacity-building projects, water resource management, soil and water conservation, school gardens, and sustainable agricultural practices since 2004. Since 2015, she has been part of the Orinoco Sustainable Development Group, contributing to regional sustainable development initiatives. In 2024, she coordinated and co-authored the project "Assessment of Land Suitability in the Protected Area of Greater Caracas for Shade-Grown Coffee Production" for IICA-Venezuela. She also participated as a member of the technical team in the project "Strategies for Agro-Export in the Context of Future Development Scenarios for Venezuela" (2022), and was a member of the coordinating team and co-author of the profile for the integrated watershed management plan for the upper Guárico River basin, developed for IICA-Costa Rica (2019-2020). Her international experience includes serving as a consultant on the "Smart Agricultural Practices" project in Belize for the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) of Costa Rica in 2018, in response to the impacts of climate change on the Central American agricultural sector. Additionally, she was a co-editor of the book "Water in Venezuela: A Scarce Resource," published by the Empresas Polar Foundation in 2015. Engineer Iskandar Nahas has contributed to various publications related to ecology, water management, and conservation, and has served as a speaker and workshop facilitator for youth and adults on environmental topics. Her work has been presented at multiple scientific conferences and academic publications, including her contribution to the "Venezuela History Dictionary" and to Interciencia journal, where she addressed topics such as ecological carrying capacity. Her commitment to sustainability, environmental conservation, and applied research positions her as a leading figure in ecology, natural resource management, and sustainable agriculture in Venezuela and the region.
Pedro García Montero was born in Venezuela and graduated as an Agronomist from the Central University of Venezuela in 1975. From the beginning, he showed a deep interest in soils and natural resources, which led him to specialize in Soil Science, earning his Master of Science at the University of Florida in 1984. His career was marked by scientific rigor and a strong commitment to the sustainable management of Venezuela's environment, qualities that would define his professional legacy. Over five decades of experience, Pedro García Montero became a leading figure in soil studies, natural resource inventory and evaluation, environmental planning, baseline environmental studies, and territorial planning. His role as a senior consultant allowed him to lead and advise strategic projects, earning recognition for his integrated vision in environmental assessment and watershed management, always oriented towards sustainable development. He held high-responsibility positions in key institutions, such as Coordinator of the Natural Resources Inventory Project for the Guayana Region at CVG Tecmin, Director of Soils, Vegetation and Fauna, Director of Land Conservation and Evaluation, and Director-General of the Autonomous Service for Environmental Development of the Amazon (SADA-AMAZONAS) within the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. Currently, he continues to contribute through the Orinoco Group, reflecting on pathways for a post-oil Venezuela. His passion for teaching is reflected in twenty-five years of undergraduate and postgraduate education at Venezuelan universities, including the Central University of Venezuela, Andrés Bello Catholic University, and the Experimental University of Guayana. He mentored several generations of professionals, who highlight his conceptual clarity, commitment to applied science, and constant motivation to connect knowledge with the country's realities. He has left a valuable bibliographic legacy with over thirty publications, including chapters in internationally recognized books. His contributions include, among others, studies such as "Tepui Peatlands: setting and features" (Zinck & García, 2011) and "Properties and Classification of the Tepui Peats" (García, Schargel& Zinck, 2011), which delve into the peatlands of the Tepuis and their paleoenvironmental significance; "Territorial Zoning Based on Geopedologic Information: Case Study in the Caroní River Basin, Venezuela" (García, 2016), where he proposes applied methodologies for territorial planning; and "A vision on the territorial planning of the Amazonas state as a basis for its sustainable development" (García, 2022), which offers a strategic reflection for sustainable development in the Venezuelan Amazon; Psammic Peinobiomes: Nutrient-Limited Ecosystems of the Upper Orinoco and Rio Negro Basins. A. Zinck, O. Huber, P. Garcia and E. Medina Editors (2023), focusing on the characterization and genesis of these unique Amazonian ecosystems. His work transcends disciplines and borders, integrating geomorphology, pedology, and ecology to benefit environmental management in Venezuela and Latin America.
