Research Interests
My research interests broadly revolve around coupled human-natural systems with strong policy or management focus. The motivation for most research topics emerges from key conservation issues. Thus, I am particularly interested in how anthropogenic changes, mainly agriculturally-driven deforestation, alter biodiversity and ecosystem services. I am also interested in evaluating the effectiveness of market-based strategies to reduce deforestation (Fig. 1).
Fig 1. Integrative model of theoretical processes driving loss of wildlife and ecosystem services and research interests. This model is not an exhaustive representation of all environmental issues; it focuses on environmental conservation problems that I find particularly interesting and urgent.
In my research, I combine both intensive and extensive field data with quantitative modeling from the landscape ecology field and economic theory to approach questions. Furthermore, given how complex coupled human-natural systems are, I heavily rely upon collaboration with researchers across different disciplines, such as mathematics and economics. With this approach, collaborators and I aim to understand pressing environmental issues, develop novel analytical techniques, and improve upon existing policy tools to conserve our environmental heritage. In the past, much of my wildlife research has focused on mammals and birds; however, interesting questions motivate me more than taxon-specific problems.
Publications
2018
Nunez-Regueiro M.M., Fletcher, R. J. Jr., Siddiqui, S. Global meta-analysis of bioenergy impacts on biodiversity. (in review in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment).
Nunez-Regueiro M.M., Fletcher, R. J. Jr., Pienaar E. F., Branch, L. C., Volante, J. N., Rifai, S. Adding the temporal dimension to spatial patterns of PES enrollment in the endangered Chaco Forest (in review in Ecosystem Services).
2017
Espin, J., Palmas, S., Carrasco-Rueda, F., Riemer, K., Ungvari-Martin, J, Allen, P., Berkebile, N., Gomez, J. P., Hecht, K., Kastner-Wilcox, K., Núñez-Regueiro, M. M., Prince, C., Rios, C., Ross, E., Sangha, B., Tyler, T., Villegas-Bilbao, M., Cataldo, T., Bruna, E. M., 2017. A persistent lack of international representation on editorial boards in biology. Plos Biology (in press).
Gottlieb, I.G.W., Fletcher,R.J, Jr., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M., Ober, H., Smith, L., Brosi, B. Alternative biomass strategies for bioenergy: implication for bird communities across the southern United States. Global Change Biology Bioenergy (In press).
Trigo, C., Talamo, A., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M., Derlindati, E., Maras, G., Barchuk, A.H., Palavecino, A. 2017. A woody plant community and tree-cacti associations change with distance to a water source in a dry Chaco forest of Argentina. The Rangeland Journal (in press).
2015
Nunez-Regueiro, M. M., L. Branch, R. J. Fletcher, Jr., G. A. Maras, E. Derlindati, and A. Talamo. 2015. Spatial patterns of mammal occurrence in forest strips surrounded by agricultural crops of the Chaco region, Argentina. Biological Conservation. PDF
2013
Talamo, A., Lopez de Casenave, J., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M., Caziani, S. 2013. Regeneracion de plantas leñosas en el Chaco semiarido: relacion con factores bioticos y abioticos en micrositios creados por el aprovechamiento forestal. Bosque 34, 53:62
Nunez-Regueiro M.M., Fletcher, R. J. Jr., Siddiqui, S. Global meta-analysis of bioenergy impacts on biodiversity. (in review in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment).
Nunez-Regueiro M.M., Fletcher, R. J. Jr., Pienaar E. F., Branch, L. C., Volante, J. N., Rifai, S. Adding the temporal dimension to spatial patterns of PES enrollment in the endangered Chaco Forest (in review in Ecosystem Services).
2017
Espin, J., Palmas, S., Carrasco-Rueda, F., Riemer, K., Ungvari-Martin, J, Allen, P., Berkebile, N., Gomez, J. P., Hecht, K., Kastner-Wilcox, K., Núñez-Regueiro, M. M., Prince, C., Rios, C., Ross, E., Sangha, B., Tyler, T., Villegas-Bilbao, M., Cataldo, T., Bruna, E. M., 2017. A persistent lack of international representation on editorial boards in biology. Plos Biology (in press).
Gottlieb, I.G.W., Fletcher,R.J, Jr., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M., Ober, H., Smith, L., Brosi, B. Alternative biomass strategies for bioenergy: implication for bird communities across the southern United States. Global Change Biology Bioenergy (In press).
Trigo, C., Talamo, A., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M., Derlindati, E., Maras, G., Barchuk, A.H., Palavecino, A. 2017. A woody plant community and tree-cacti associations change with distance to a water source in a dry Chaco forest of Argentina. The Rangeland Journal (in press).
2015
Nunez-Regueiro, M. M., L. Branch, R. J. Fletcher, Jr., G. A. Maras, E. Derlindati, and A. Talamo. 2015. Spatial patterns of mammal occurrence in forest strips surrounded by agricultural crops of the Chaco region, Argentina. Biological Conservation. PDF
2013
Talamo, A., Lopez de Casenave, J., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M., Caziani, S. 2013. Regeneracion de plantas leñosas en el Chaco semiarido: relacion con factores bioticos y abioticos en micrositios creados por el aprovechamiento forestal. Bosque 34, 53:62
Ongoing Research Projects
Global Challenges in Conservation and Sustainability
- Policy tools for environmental grand challenges. Current challenges can be daunting and different policy tools have strengths and weaknesses. Here, we will build a synthetic predictive framework with the BBCS group.
- Invasive species and institutional analyses. What are the roles of institutions in controlling the spread of invasive species? A research project with the BBCS group.
- Hidden forest-agriculture teleconnections. Recent work highlights how forests loss can alter climatic conditions in distant locations, but how do these climatic changes affect food production across multiple spatial scales? A research project with the BBCS group.
- Climate change will affect how biodiversity is distributed globally. What does this mean in terms of future biodiversity reserve designs? A research project with the BBCS group.
Ecology and Conservation of South America in general and Chaco forest in particular
- Argentina's Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Program. How are the payments being spent across the landscape? What are the main challenges for improving policy outcomes? In collaboration with R. Fletcher, Pienaar, E., Rifai, S., Branch, L., and the BBCS group
- I collaborate with Milton Ribeiro and his research group compiling occurrence and abundance data on Neotropical Xenarthra and invasive species for the Neotropics.
- Logging, cattle, native forest regeneration, and ecological interactions among mammals in the Chaco Forest. In collaboration with Andres Talamo and others
Deforestation Modeling Work
- A doubly stochastic model of deforestation in the context of large-scale industrial agriculture. In collaboration with J. Hiller and C. Nunez-Godoy.
- Markov models of deforestation: a review. In collaboration with J. Hiller and C. Nunez-Godoy.
Thoughts and Challenges of Working in Science
- Scientific Isolation in a globalised world? Thoughts on collaborative networking for the global south. In collaboration with Gonzalo Rivas and others.
- International representation bias in editorial boards; in collaboration with Emilio Bruna and others.
Satellite images and aerial photograph of forest strips embedded in the agricultural matrix. Chaco Forest, Salta, Argentina.
Strengthening the community of conservation scientists and practitioners
Southern Cone Conservation Leadership Initiative
We have submitted our first working paper on Collaborative networks for conservation science and practice in the global south! Also, we have created the first chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology for the Southern Cone of South America...more soon!
IUCN partners and I published a new article in the Wild Pig, Peccary and Hippo Specialist Group Newsletter.
Leus, K., Altrichter, M., Arnaud, D., Camino, M., Giordano, A.J., Campos Krauer, J.M., Brooks, D., Thompson, J., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M. 2016. A vortex population viability analysis model for the Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri). Newsletter of the IUCN / SSC Wild Pig, Peccary and Hippo Specialist Groups (not peered reviewd).
Capacity building in Argentina - Jon Dain and I gave a workshop on facilitation, conflict management, and collaboration in Argentina. Funding for this course came from The Rufford Small Grant Foundation, TCD, and INTA.
Here's a nice piece about this course written by folks from INTA
Bellow is a short video we did right after the course
We have submitted our first working paper on Collaborative networks for conservation science and practice in the global south! Also, we have created the first chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology for the Southern Cone of South America...more soon!
IUCN partners and I published a new article in the Wild Pig, Peccary and Hippo Specialist Group Newsletter.
Leus, K., Altrichter, M., Arnaud, D., Camino, M., Giordano, A.J., Campos Krauer, J.M., Brooks, D., Thompson, J., Nunez-Regueiro, M.M. 2016. A vortex population viability analysis model for the Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri). Newsletter of the IUCN / SSC Wild Pig, Peccary and Hippo Specialist Groups (not peered reviewd).
Capacity building in Argentina - Jon Dain and I gave a workshop on facilitation, conflict management, and collaboration in Argentina. Funding for this course came from The Rufford Small Grant Foundation, TCD, and INTA.
Here's a nice piece about this course written by folks from INTA
Bellow is a short video we did right after the course
Workshop participants, organizers, Jon Dain, and I on our last day. INTA, Parana, Argentina.
Engaging Society
Southern Cone Conservation Facebook Group
Collaborating with local land-owners from south Georgia for a more biodiversity-friendly timber production
Collaborating with local land-owners from south Georgia for a more biodiversity-friendly timber production
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