Susana Cárdenas
PhD, University of California, Davis
Office: BS-217
Phone: (+593 2) 297-1700 Ext. 1183
E-mail: sacardenas@usfq.edu.ec
Interests
- Natural resource economics with emphasis on the application of economic valuation methods to the conservation of endangered species, ecosystem services and marine protected areas
- Environmental policy
- Tourism economics
- Tourism impact monitoring in protected areas
- Sustainable development
- Evaluation and monitoring progress towards SDGs
Projects
- Research and monitoring of tourism impacts in visitor sites of the Galapagos National Park with an adaptive approach. Tourism activities in protected areas cause various environmental, social and economic impacts. The aim of this project is to carry out applied research to understand the extent and links of these impacts to inform and guide management measures and public policy.
- Tourism and Sustainable Development in the Galapagos: A 20-year archipelago economy-wide analysis and policy recommendations. The project is aimed to assess the economic impact tourism has had in the Galapagos local economy for the last 20 years. Detailed micro-economic level and multi-sector analyses are used to identify the benefits generated by tourism in the islands’ economy.
- Evaluation of conservation scenarios for the pelagic environments in and outside the Galapagos Marine Reserve. This project aims to compile, synthesize and conduct analytical research on the GMR and surrounding open-water and pelagic systems in order to evaluate the potential impacts of different conservation scenarios to increase protection of the GMR on regional biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics.
- Economic valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in Galapagos and the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The Galapagos is the largest and most visited MPA in the ETP region, which makes it a good starting point to explore tourist and resident preferences for endangered and migratory marine megafauna and marine ecosystem services through economic valuation techniques.