Fausto Sarmiento, Ph.D.
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
Phone: (706) 542-1753
E-mail: fsarmien@uga.edu
Biography | Courses Taught | Selected Publications

Fausto Sarmiento is Associate Professor of Geography. He is also graduate faculty in the School of International Affairs. His research focuses on neotropical mountains, biogeography, political ecology and cultural landscapes. He is Regional Editor for Latin America for the journal Mountain Research and in the editorial board of Pirineos, the Journal of Mountain Ecology. He is member of the Commission on Diversity of Mountain Systems of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and Scientific Advisory Board Member of the Mountain Research Institute (MRI) representing the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP). He is Deputy Vice Chair for Mountains, Capacity Building, of the World Commission of Protected Areas (WCPA) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) where he is also member of the Task Force on Protected Landscapes. He was Chair of the Mountain Geography Specialty Group (MGSG) of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) in 2002. He has served as UNESCO/IUCN regional expert for topics on cultural landscapes, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. He was president of the Andean Mountains Association (AMA) in 1998-2001and organized the III International Symposium on Sustainable Mountain Development; also, he was inaugural keynote speaker at the IV Latin American Congress of Ecology, was keynote speaker at the I International Congress of Biodiversity Conservation of the Andes and the Amazon, and chaired the workshop on Mountain Protected Areas for the first Latin American Congress of National Parks.

In 1999, the Honor Society for International Scholars Phi Beta Delta, Tau Chapter, recognized him as the "Outstanding Faculty of the Year". In 2001, the Mountain Geography Specialty Group (MGSG) of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) gave him the "Outstanding Recent Accomplishment Award" for his work "in fostering sustainable development in mountain environments". In 2007, the UGA-Student Government Association recognized him for excellence in teaching and valuable contributions to students.

Dr. Sarmiento was Executive Director of the Ecuadorian Museum of Natural Sciences in Quito and chief ecologist consultant at AECOTAL in Ecuador. In the United States, he was co-Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies until 2002, when he became Director if the Office of International Education of the University of Georgia until 2005.

In 2004, Dr. Sarmiento participated in the II Cultural Encounter of the Americas to discuss Identity and Cultural Landscapes. Also, he was selected as juror for the BBVA Foundation for the prestigious International Prize on Actions on Biodiversity Conservation. The International Center for Mediterranean Studies in Zaragoza invited him as juror for the graduating class of 2005 of Integrated Environmental Planning and rural development. In addition, he received a Fulbright Scholar Award for the International Education Administrator Program to Japan.

Dr. Sarmiento has been engaged in multidisciplinary research projects for comparative mountain ecology, Andean treeline dynamics and the overal farmscape transformation and global change in the Andes. Preliminary results of his work are summarized in "Desde la Selva hasta el Mar: Antología Ecológica del Ecuador", published in 1987 by the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Quito. A major contribution to Montology is his recent "Montañas del Mundo: Una Priordad Global con Perspectives Latinoamericanas" published in 2003 by Abya-Yala

Curriculum Vitae: English version Spanish version