Country of Residence
Discipline(s)
Institution
Indigenous Science
Research Interests
Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Earth Observations, Science Diplomacy, Indigenous Knowledge
Topics to speak on:
Science Diplomacy, Earth Observations, Water, Indigenous Peoples, Nature Conservation
Biography
Dr. Yolanda López-Maldonado is an Indigenous Maya woman from Mexico and a science diplomat, working on the social dimensions of nature conservation. Her career spans both natural and social sciences, focusing on the science-society-policy interface. She has worked for, and collaborated with, academic and non-academic organizations, achieving high-level results in diplomatic environments across various social issues and scientific fields, including UNESCO, UNPFII, CBD, ICCROM, IPBES, and IUCN, fostering debates on how science (both Western and Indigenous) can build trust between nations and support foreign policies. Her expertise includes in-depth knowledge of theories, frameworks, methods, and analytical techniques to investigate complex systems undergoing global change. Recently, she was appointed as Lead Author of the Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge section for the Global Environment Outlook Report 7, Early Warning and Assessment Division, UNEP. A Young Scholar at the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and a Junior Fellow at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Dr. López-Maldonado holds a PhD in Human Geography from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany).
Awards
Lead Author for the Global Environment Outlook Report (GEO7)- Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge Task Force, Early Warning and Assessment Division, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
Beijer Young Scholar, The Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Kungul. Vetenskaps-Akademien), Stockholm, Sweden
Young Scientist 2015, Young Scientist Summer Program, International Institute for Applied System Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
IBEX Award, The Indigenous Biocultural Exchange Fund and the Christensen Fund
National Council of Science and Technology Mexico (Conacyt-Mexico)