Bárbara Acevedo Strange studied Communication Design at the University of the Arts (ArtEZ) and Media Philosophy at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG). Her work explores the relationship between visual language and the creation of realities, with a special interest in iconographic systems and their impact on the perception of the world in certain structural frameworks. 

Tomás Altamirano is the director of conservation at Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA). His work takes place at the intersection of science and politics, addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable cohabitation. At FMA, he leads strategic conservation planning, scientific work in Bosque Pehuén, research on mountain ecosystems, and national and international strategic alliances, all from a transdisciplinary approach. He was coordinator of the National Bird Conservation Strategy 2021-2030 led by the MMA. He holds a degree in forestry science and obtained his PhD and a postdoctoral fellowship in ecology and mountain biodiversity conservation. He has focused his work on the interaction between applied ecology research and conservation management/planning.

Paola Arroyo Vargas holds a degree in Renewable Natural Resources Engineering from the Catholic University of Temuco, a master's degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of La Frontera, and a PhD in Earth, Environment and Society from Portland State University in the United States. Her research has focused on studying the effect of fire on plant communities, structure, and regeneration of Andean forests in south-central Chile. Currently, she is the lead researcher on a FONDECYT postdoctoral project at the Ecosystems and Forests Laboratory at the University of La Frontera, where she will continue working in the field of fire ecology. 

Violeta Bustos Vaccia is head of communication at Fundación Mar Adentro. She is a journalist and graduate in Data Visualization, with a master’s in American Aesthetics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She works as a researcher and teacher in the field of digital communication and content creation.

Sebastián Carrasco oversees conservation projects at Fundación Mar Adentro. He holds a degree in Natural Resource Management from the Catholic University of Temuco and a master's degree in science with a specialisation in botany from the University of Concepción. He has experience as a researcher and field biologist in conservation projects in Chilean Patagonia, and as the manager of ecological restoration projects in araucaria forests affected by fires. During his master’s studies, he analyzed the impacts of pine invasions on plant communities as part of a Fondecyt project at the Biological Invasions Laboratory of the University of Concepción and the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity. 

Simón Crisóstomo Loncopán became president of his community at the age of 25, a role he held for 2 years before going on to hold territorial positions within the Mapuche movement in Araucanía. He designed a territorial mapping methodology for Mapuche territorial reconstruction for his thesis. Over the years, this methodology was key to the territorial mapping process of more than 40 Mapuche communities between Arauco and Chiloé in various land and territory recovery processes. Simón is now Ina Lonko of his territory and president of the Mapuche Communities Association ‘Winkulmapu’ of Curarrehue, an organization that brings together more than 13 Mapuche communities and six lof (clans) in the territory of Kurarewe. He works as an independent geographer, supporting Mapuche territorial reconstruction processes and inclusive conservation projects with an Indigenous perspective for communities and national and international NGOs.

Maya Errázuriz is a curator and editor. Her research focuses on the link between art and ecology applied to nature conservation strategies. She currently works as Director of Art and Publications at Fundación Mar Adentro, where she leads curatorial research and the Bosque Pehuén residency program. Her most recent collaborations and curatorial work include Trueno, co-curator of the 16th Biennial of Medial Arts, Chile (2023). She has also collaborated as editor and writer on several Latin American contemporary art publications. 

Andrés Fuentes Ramírez is a biologist in Natural Resource Management from the Catholic University of Temuco. He holds a master's degree in Botany from the University of Concepción and a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Statistics from Iowa State University, USA. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Sciences and a researcher at the Ecosystems and Forests Laboratory (EcoBos) at the University of La Frontera. His research focuses on the response of forest ecosystems to high-severity fires, the impacts of invasive alien species on natural ecosystems, and the positive interaction between invasions and changes in fire regimes. He has been the principal investigator for several research projects related to the ecological impacts of forest fires and other anthropogenic disturbances in Araucaria araucana forests, fire ecology, and biodiversity conservation (FONDECYT, PAI, FOVI, CLIMAT-AmSud, DIUFRO). He also participates as a co-researcher in other research initiatives related to the control of invasive alien species in natural ecosystems. He is currently Principal Investigator in the field of forest sustainability at the National Centre for Excellence in the Wood Industry (CENAMAD) in conjunction with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Centre for Biodiversity and Ecological Sustainability (C-BEST), University of La Frontera. In addition, Dr. Fuentes Ramírez is a member of the Chilean Ecology Society (SOCECOL), the Ecological Society of America (ESA), and the Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) in the United States.

Jennifer Gabrys is Chair in Media, Culture and Environment in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. She leads the Planetary Praxis research group and is Principal Investigator on the ERC-funded project, Smart Forests: Transforming Environments into Social-Political Technologies. Her publications include Citizens of Worlds: Open-Air Toolkits for Environmental Struggle (2022), How to Do Things with Sensors (2019), Program Earth: Environmental Sensing Technology and the Making of a Computational Planet (2016), and Digital Rubbish: A Natural History of Electronics (2011). Her work can be found at planetarypraxis.org and jennifergabrys.net.

Felipe Guarda is head of evaluations and studies at Fundación Mar Adentro. He holds a degree in sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC) and a master's degree in environmental studies from the University of Melbourne. He has worked as a social researcher at the Justice and Society Centre of the UC Institute of Sociology and as an analyst in the field of environmental protection. He has experience in designing, coordinating and analysing various social and environmental research projects. At FMA, he has supported the design and evaluation of conservation projects and developed analyses of biodiversity monitoring data. 

Pablo González Rivas worked with Fundación Mar Adentro and Smart Forests to develop materials, infrastructure, networks, and events for community fire prevention plans. He is a community psychologist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and holds a diploma in Climate Action at the local and regional level from the University of Chile. His work experience includes collaborative work with local and Indigenous communities in urban and rural contexts, including groups seeking solutions for food sovereignty and resilience from a socio-ecological perspective. In the field of research, he has participated in interdisciplinary studies on issues of gender violence; the role of Mapuche women entrepreneurs in protecting their biocultural heritage; artisanal fishers’ perceptions of the ecosystem services provided by marine-protected areas; amenity-driven migration in rural contexts; team well-being and management in social intervention contexts; and the sustainability of neighborhoods in urban contexts.

Pamela Iglesias has a degree in Art from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC). She has participated in three biennials and various exhibitions in Chile and abroad. Her production is linked to issues of gender, feminism, migration, and the periphery, through photography, video art, textiles, installation, and other disciplines.

Fernanda López Quilodrán is a visual artist with a bachelor's degree in Art from the Catholic University and a master's degree in Visual Arts from the University of Chile. Her research encompasses reflections on the relationships across the subject and cultural, social, political and natural contexts, aiming to understand living systems. She has participated in residencies and biennials and has exhibited and projected her work nationally and internationally.

Felipe Ortega is a biologist specialising in natural resource management. He is also a park ranger at Villarrica National Park in Araucanía. He is interested in the relationship between human well-being and nature, as well as intercultural commitments to society and nature.

Valeria Palma is a Natural Resources Engineer who recently graduated from the University of La Frontera (UFRO). She has been part of the UFRO Ecosystems and Forests Laboratory since 2022, where she has worked alongside Dr. Andrés Fuentes Ramírez in the fire ecology research line.

Fernanda Romero is an ecologist and landscaper, and holds a master’s in Wilderness Areas and Nature Conservation from the Universidad de Chile. She is general coordinator of the Altos de Cantillana Natural Reserve and president of the Así Conserva Chile association. In 2022, she was recognized as a Living Human Treasure for her work in conservation and ecological restoration in the Aculeo basin. She has led flora research throughout Chile and currently works for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in the Reserve, located in the Altos de Cantillana mountain range, Metropolitan Region.

Gianna Salamanca is a researcher and visual artist from the University of Chile (UC), with a master’s degree in Human Settlements and Environment from UC with postgraduate studies in Restoration and Environmental Rehabilitation of Terrestrial Ecosystems (UC) and Sustainable Heritage and Territorial Development (UC). She has been a socio-territorial analyst in Fondecyt projects on environmental conflicts and territorial recovery processes with Indigenous communities. Currently, she is part of the PhD program in Architecture and Urban Studies (UC).

Paula Tiara Torres worked with Fundación Mar Adentro and Smart Forests to develop community fire plan materials, infrastructures, networks, and events. She is a Forestry Engineer and holds a master's degree in Natural Resources from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where she specialized in assessing wildfire landscape susceptibility using Machine Learning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Additionally, she has actively contributed to a project aimed at modelling and predicting attacks by xylophagous species in Chilean forests using Systems Dynamics modelling. Paula is particularly interested in exploring new areas of investigation to contribute to environmental knowledge. She is passionate about how data analysis methodologies can improve sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.

The Smart Forests project is led by Professor Jennifer Gabrys and is part of the Planetary Praxis research group, which began in 2020 and is based in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology. The project is principally funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The project investigates the social-political impacts of digital technologies that increasingly govern, manage, and monitor forests worldwide, and asks how forests are remade by these technologies. Crossing science and technology studies (STS) and digital media studies, the research into digital technologies investigates themes of observation, participation, datafication, automation and optimization, and regulation and transformation. Through exploring how various smart forest technologies impact social, political and ecological relations, the project ultimately seeks to suggest possibilities for more equitable digital technologies and environmental policy and practice.

For more information on the Smart Forests project or to read the stories, examples and interviews mentioned in this collection, visit:
https://atlas.smartforests.net and https://smartforests.net.

To watch the short film about the Smart Forests project, visit:
https://smartforests.net/smart-forests-film.

To read Logbooks about Smart Forests, visit:
https://atlas.smartforests.net/en/logbooks.

To listen to the Smart Forests Radio podcast, visit:
https://atlas.smartforests.net/en/radio.

To explore the Smart Forests Map, visit:
https://atlas.smartforests.net/en/map.

You are also invited to contribute relevant material to our Atlas if you would like to sign up as a contributor. More information is available at:
https://atlas.smartforests.net.

Fundación Mar Adentro is an NGO founded in 2011 with the aim of creating collaborative experiences that link art, science, and the humanities to develop learning, awareness, and action for nature conservation. It works collaboratively and promotes the integration of diverse knowledge, disciplines, and socio-ecological perspectives to understand the complexity and variety of the world we share: a vast biological and cultural network. It promotes projects and programmes through scientific and artistic research, the creation of exhibitions, dialogue programmes, artistic and socio-ecological mediation, and the development of publications.

In addition, it manages a conservation area, Bosque Pehuén, located in the Palguín Alto area between the Villarrica (Rucapillán) and Quetrupillan volcanoes, which since 2006 has protected ancient araucaria forests, secondary forests, scrublands, and grasslands at the headwaters of the Toltén Basin, an open-air laboratory for research where transdisciplinary conservation models converge.

To read more about the foundation and its programmes, visit:
https://fundacionmaradentro.cl.

To download its publications, go to:
https://fundacionmaradentro.cl/publicaciones.

To listen to its Poligonal podcast programme, visit:
https://fundacionmaradentro.cl/podcast.