Manuel Lequerica

I grew up surrounded by nature in the lush Andes mountains of Colombia, and have always been fascinated by plants and their interaction with animals (including us, humans). Everything from plant biochemistry and physiology to forest ecology intrigues me; I consider myself a Naturalist more than a Biologist.

I did my B.Sc. at Universidad de Los andes , in Colombia, with a particular focus on high-Andean forest ecology. I then moved to Australia, where I finished a M. Agr. (Environmental Economics) at The University of Sydney, and got involved in a research project that studied the economic impacts of sewage (with agro-industrial origin).

My current research (in the Integrative Ecology Lab, at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences in The University of Sydney) revolves around the effects of urbanisation on wildlife, in particular plants and pollinators. I am interested in understanding how the growth of cities has a (negative or positive) impact in plant and animal populations both locally and remotely.

October 2016