Laura Ruiz Mendez

Laura's educational training has been primarily within the U.S., although Mexico is her country of origin . She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1999. While at Santa Cruz, Laura's focus was Agroecology and Botany. There her research involved the ecology and effects of potential management techniques on the control of exotic species and native species recovery off the coast of California. Other independent research involved the ethnobotanical use of native and non-native species by Southern Mexican indigenous communities. Prior to enrolling at the Yale School of Foresty and Envirnomental Studies, Laura was an instructor and coordinator of bilingual computer courses in a non-profit social service agency based in Los Angeles, California.

Laura's primary research focus is within the Sierra Juárez of Oaxaca, Southern México; home to her family. After spending much time in the Sierra, she realized that her training as an ecologist could be used to better facilitate the conservation of Mexico's natural resources. The resiliency of Pine-Oak and Cloud forests following shifting agriculture in the region and maintenance of control over resources historically by local Zapotec communities offers a unique opportunity to study the sustainable use of resources often difficult to find in other regions of the country. In fact, in most portions of the country and many regions of the Sierra Juárez deforestation is of great concern. Laura seeks to study the potential for management of resources within increased secondary forests, due in part to emigrating human populations, by examining the resiliency and recovery of native plants species in Pine-Oak forests of the Sierra Juárez. Laura's Masters in Forest Science project is focused on the Effects of Human Depopulation on Land Use and Forest Recovery in a Human-Induced Community Forest, in the Villa Alta District, Oaxaca, Mexico.