Dr. Ximena Herrera - Alvarez
About me
Ximena has conducted research in both temperate European forests and native and secondary forests in the Amazonian region, studying the effects of disturbances such as fires, logging, and others on ecosystem functioning. Additionally, she has investigated the ecology of invasive species in the Galapagos Islands. Her ultimate research goal is to better understand the complex interaction between forests and people, allowing for a more sustainable use of natural resources.
I started my Ecological journey in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. This country is Ecuador, located on the Pacific Coast in Norh West of South America.
Ecuador gave me the opportunity to know, not only the challenges the tropical regions are facing to conserve their natural resources, but also to understand the needs of the people according to their local and ancestral knowledge.
San Francisco de Quito University (Ecuador) also gave me the basis for my professional journey (BSc. Applied Ecology). I continued my next steps at Public University of Navarre - University of the Basque Country (Spain) where I studied my MSc in Environmental Agrobiology (Carolina Foundation Scholarship). Finally, at the same university in Navarre, I had the opportunity to pursue my PhD degree in Environmental Agrobiology (international mention) with a scholarship from this university.
During more than ten years of research in different countries, dealing with different cultures (European and Latin American), I have learned to work in multidisciplinary teams and different positions such as PI, co - PI, lecturer, R&D management, research assistant, intern and volunteer.
My research interests and questions are related to:
-Ecology of timber species in a Pan-Amazonian approach.
-Composition and structure of forests along altitudinal gradients in the tropics.
-Forest responses to logging and fires.
-Plant-animal interactions of invasive species.
I am also a member of the following research societies and associations:
-Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö)
-British Ecological Society (BES)
-Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET)
AWARDS
2024 –2025 Open Science Award by the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET) for developing the first standardized Amazonian timber database (MADERA).
My career goals are to:
-Develop a better understanding of ecosystems, mainly forests to promote conservation and natural resources management based on scientific evidence with the stakeholders involved (local and international).
-Connect knowledge, initiatives and projects for two-way learning between the global South and North, and North - South. As well as South-South collaboration.
-Gain empowerment through education of a new generation of leaders (mainly women and underrepresented groups) for conservation and natural resources management of ecosystems.
-Promote inclusive and ethical science development with the priceless work and ancestral knowledge of indigenous communities and locals in the tropics .
Other Memberships/Affiliations
Degrees:
Herrera-Alvarez Ximena, Portillo-Indurain Adrián, Rodriguez-Perez et al., Does thermal stress shape resource selection? Thermoregulation strategies of pyrenean cattle and burguete horses during the 2024–2025 summers in Navarre, Spain (in preparation).
Herrera-Alvarez, X., Rivas-Torres, G., Phillips, O. L. et al., 2025. Trends in scientific research on tropical timber species, 1983–2023. Forest Systems (accepted).
Herrera-Alvarez, X., Rivas-Torres, G., Phillips, O.L. et al. 2025. Are tropical forest science and policy disconnected? Assessing the common understanding of the concept of "timber species" among different forest stakeholders in the Amazon. Ecosistemas 34(3): 3047. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.3047
Herrera-Alvarez X., Blanco J.A., Phillips O.L. et al. 2025. Defining Amazon timber. Tropical Forest Update 34(2), 4-9. ISSN: 1022-5439.
Herrera-Alvarez, X., J. A. Blanco, O. L. Phillips et al. 2023. First-Ever Complete List of Amazonian Timber Tree Species. Bull Ecol Soc Am 104(4): e02104. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.2104
Herrera-Alvarez X., Blanco JA, Phillips OL, et al. 2023. MADERA: A Standardized Pan-Amazonian Dataset for Tropical Timber Species. Ecology 104(9): e4135. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4135
Herrera-Alvarez, X.; Blanco, J.A.; Imbert, J.B. et al. 2020. Coarse Woody Debris’ Invertebrate Community is Affected Directly by Canopy Type and Indirectly by Thinning in Mixed Scots Pine - European Beech Forests. Forests, 11, 975. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11090975
J. Bosco Imbert, Juan A. Blanco, David Candel-Pérez, Yueh-Hsin Lo, Ester González de Andrés, Antonio Yeste, Ximena Herrera- Alvarez. 2021. Synergies Between Climate Change, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and Services, Indirect Drivers of Change and Human Well-Being in Forests. In: Venkatramanan, V., Shah, S., Prasad, R. (eds) Exploring Synergies and Trade-offs between Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7301-9_12
Herrera - Alvarez Ximena, García Katic, Saransing Cristina, et al. 2018. Hacia un mejor manejo de los bosques de eucalipto (Eucalyptus globulus) naturalizados: Resultados de caso de una investigación interdisciplinaria sobre incendios forestales en los Andes ecuatorianos. In: Echeverría Julio (ed) Cuestiones Urbanas, Volumen 6. N°. 1 (book in Spanish).
de la Torre, S., Villarruel, I., Córdova-Páez, A., Herrera-Alvarez, X. 2018. Interactions Among Exotics: Guava and Its Associated Fauna in the Highlands of San Cristobal. In: Torres, M., Mena, C. (eds) Understanding Invasive Species in the Galapagos Islands. Social and Ecological Interactions in the Galapagos Islands. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67177-2_3
Erazo - Daniela, Herrera - Alvarez Ximena, Laspina Gabriel. 2016. Caso de Ecuador. In: Calle, Isabel y Ryan, Daniel (coord). La participación ciudadana en los procesos de evaluación de impacto ambiental: análisis de casos en 6 países de Latinoamérica. Lima: SPDA (book in Spanish).
CONFERENCE PAPERS
Herrera-Alvarez X., Blanco JA., Ortega-López L, et al. 2025. Amazonian timber species show distinctive ecological attributes. 8th European Conference of Tropical Ecology. Oral presentation
Rivadeneira - Barba G., Herrera-Alvarez X., Blanco Juan A., et al. 2025. Community composition of invertebrates associated to coarse woody debris and leaf litter substrates in the Western Amazon, a case study in Ecuador. 8th European Conference of Tropical Ecology. Poster
Herrera-Alvarez X, Blanco JA, Ortega-López L, et al. 2025. Amazonian timber species show distinctive ecological characteristics compared to non-timber species. 9°Congreso Forestal Español. Poster
Herrera-Alvarez X, Rivas-Torres G, Phillips OL., et al. 2025. Trends in scientific research related to tropical timber species (1983-2023). 9° Congreso Forestal Español. Poster
Herrera - Alvarez X, Blanco JA, Phillips OL et al. 2023. What is the current conceptualization of timber species? A literature review of this definition and its evolution during the last decade (2010 - 2020). XVI Congreso Nacional de la Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre. Poster
Yeste A, Blanco J.A., Imbert J.B., Zozaya - Vela H., Elizalde - Arbilla M., Candel - Perez D., Lo Y.H., Herrera - Alvarez X., Seely B. 2023. Understanding the importance of fine root biomass esimates when projecting long - term growth under climate change. The International Society for Ecological Modelling Global Conference 2023.
Herrera-Alvarez, X., J. A. Blanco, O. L. Phillips, V. et al. 2022. A consensus pan-Amazonian timber species database: a call for harmonization and conservation efforts. British Ecological Society Annual Meeting 2022. Poster
Herrera-Alvarez, X.; Blanco, J.A.; Imbert, J.B. et al. 2021. Invertebrate Community of Scots Pine Coarse Woody Debris in the Southwestern Pyrenees under Different Thinning Intensities and Tree Species. The 1st International Electronic Conference on Forests - Forests for a Better Future: Sustainability, Innovation, Interdisciplinarity. Oral presentation
Herrera - Alvarez Ximena, García Katic, Saransing Cristina, Torres Ana, Ortega - López Leonardo, Celi. Jorge E (2019). Post-Fire Vegetation Regeneration in a Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) Forest of the Ecuadorian Andes. Biodiversidade Brasileira - BioBrasil. Wildfire Conference. Book of abstracts
Herrera - Alvarez Ximena, García Katic, Saransing Cristina, et al. 2018. Eucalyptus Forests (w): Interdisciplinary Research on Wildfires in the Ecuadorian Andes. Presented at the VI Congress of the Ecuadorian Network of Universities for Research and Postgraduate Studies (REDU) and the Technical University of the North, Ecuador. Oral presentation
Celi Jorge E., Cabrera J., Guerra Nereida, Gómez Laporta Miguel, Herrera - Alvarez Ximena, Pereira Leonardo A., Rodes Marina, Villacrés Ernesto (2017). Distribución de escarabajos del estiércol (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) en paisajes de montaña de la Amazonía ecuatoriana. I Congreso Latinoamericano de Biogeografía (conference in spanish).
Herrera - Alvarez Ximena and de la Torre Stella.2015. Potential seed dispersers of the invasive plant Psidium guajava on San Cristóbal Island, Galapagos. Science +. CERFA, UPV/EHU. Poster
Herrera - Alvarez Ximena, Intriago - Baldeón Dámaris, Ortega - López Leonardo, Grijalva Jaime. 2012. 1st International Conference on Dog Population Management, York. Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) - WSPA. Poster
Katic García, Samir Valencia Vélez, Josefina Vasquez Pazmiño, Florencio Delgado Espinoza, Ximena Herrera - Alvarez. Book of abstracts I National Meeting of Ethnobiology. 2016. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador - CIPACUNA (conference in spanish).