Rockwell, Cara

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Rockwell, Cara Graduate Faculty

Positions

Assistant Professor, Earth and Environment , College of Arts, Sciences & Education

crockwel@fiu.edu

CV
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biography

My research integrates the disciplines of tropical ecology, agroforestry, and sustainable forest management within the context of neotropical smallholder and community-based systems. I have pursued these complementary research interests since 1998, when I served as a Peace Corps agroforestry volunteer in Paraguay. I believe that a cohesive approach to natural resource management research will have a positive impact on livelihood development as well as biodiversity conservation and environmental services. To-date most of my research has been conducted in Southwestern Amazonia, principally in the Brazilian state of Acre and the Peruvian department of Madre de Dios. Drawing from my international field experiences, I am interested in mentoring students and allowing them to explore research opportunities in the field, both in South Florida and Latin America.

research interests

Agroecology; Ecology/Conservation Biology

selected scholarly works & creative activities

Article
- 2022
  
  Species Richness, Stem Density, and Canopy in Food Forests: Contributions to Ecosystem Services in an Urban Environment. URBAN PLANNING. 7:139-154.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.17645/up.v7i2.5135 Web of Science: 000806794600003
- 2021
  
  Sacred weeds: Common ritual plants from the urban botánicas of Miami-Dade County, Florida
  Full Text via DOI: 10.32859/ERA.22.07.1-15
- 2020
  
  Guidelines for including bamboos in tropical ecosystem monitoring. BIOTROPICA. 52:427-443.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/btp.12737 Web of Science: 000513814500001
- 2017
  
  Spatial distribution of Bertholletia excelsa in selectively logged forests of the Peruvian Amazon. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY. 33:114-127.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1017/S0266467416000614 Web of Science: 000398193900003
- 2015
  
  Effects of road infrastructure on forest value across a tri-national Amazonian frontier. BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION. 191:674-681.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.08.024 Web of Science: 000364257100076
- 2015
  
  Nut Production in Bertholletia excelsa across a Logged Forest Mosaic: Implications for Multiple Forest Use. PLOS ONE. 10.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135464 Web of Science: 000359492800077
- 2015
  
  Local and scientific perspectives on the bamboo-dominated forest in Acre, Brazil: a complementary knowledge base for multiple-use forest management
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1505/146554815814668945 Web of Science: 000351672700004
- 2014
  
  Logging in bamboo-dominated forests in southwestern Amazonia: Caveats and opportunities for smallholder forest management. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 315:202-210.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2013.12.022 Web of Science: 000332051400023
- 2014
  
  Trade-offs among forest value components in community forests of southwestern Amazonia. ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY. 19.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.5751/ES-06911-190456 Web of Science: 000347440700023
- 2007
  
  Future crop tree damage in a certified community forest in southwestern Amazonia. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 242:108-118.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2006.12.028 Web of Science: 000246268100003
- 2007
  
  Ecological limitations of reduced-impact logging at the smallholder scale. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 238:365-374.
  Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2006.11.002 Web of Science: 000243761700033
- 2007
  
  Limitations and applications of parataxonomy for community forest management in Southwestern Amazonia
  Full Text via DOI: 10.17348/era.5.0.77-84
Review
- 2023
  
  Predictors of tropical cyclone-induced urban tree failure: an international scoping review
  Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/ffgc.2023.1168495 Web of Science: 000992690600001

principal investigator on

Bahamas Pineyard Advanced Landscape and Ecosystem Monitoring Project awarded by U.S. Department of Defense 2022 - 2027
Fairchild Grant Stipend for Noah Frade awarded by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 2023 - 2024
Food forests of Florida: Case studies that reimagine food security in the subtropical urban environment awarded by U.S. Forest Service 2021 - 2024
Enhancing local food security through the farmer-to-farmer model as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemicPacket awarded by North American Partnership for Enviromen 2022 - 2023
Post-logging forest recovery: legacies of 20th century natural resource exploitation in Big Cypress National Preserve awarded by Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation 2021 - 2023
Learning from our environmental past: the hidden history of the timber industry in Miami awarded by Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fo 2021 - 2022
Developing urban forest inventories for coastal resilience in an underserved community awarded by U.S. Forest Service 2021 - 2022
The Education Funds Food forests for Schools awarded by U.S. Department of Agriculture 2020 - 2022
Post-logging forest recovery: legacies of 20th century natural resource exploitation in Big Cypress National Preserve awarded by South Florida National Parks Trust 2021 - 2022
Environmental education in urban food forests: measuring students knowledge and attitudes about the natural sciences in a participatory setting awarded by Environmental Protection Agency 2019 - 2021
Everglades National Park status survey of Garber's spurge (Chamaesyce garberi) and Cape Sable thoroughwort (Chromolaena frustrata) following Hurricane Irma awarded by National Park Service 2019 - 2020

co-principal investigator on

Grant
- Empowering students in the emerging big data field through multicultural scholar program awarded by National Institute of Food & Agriculture 2021 - 2026
- Can The Indigenous Agricultural Methods of Puerto Rico Feed the Island and Potentially Mitigate Climate Change? awarded by University of Georgia Research Foundatio 2023 - 2025
- How Climate Change Effects Crops and Pollinators awarded by University of Georgia Research Foundatio 2023 - 2025
- IRES Track II: A Unique Opportunity for Graduate Training in Tropical Biodiversity Science awarded by National Science Foundation 2019 - 2024
- Nitrogen Management and Plant Quality Monitoring Using Optical Sensor Technology in Native awarded by Florida Department of Agriculture and Co 2021 - 2023
- Assessing the impact of hurricane Irma and recovery trajectory of epiphytic communities in coastal buttonwood and mangrove forests in the Everglades National Park awarded by National Park Service 2020 - 2022

full name

Cara Rockwell

ORCID iD

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4873-2529 (confirmed)

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Co-author Network

Co-investigator Network

publication subject areas

Citation index-derived subject areas the researcher has published in