Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821

February 21, 2003 FORMER UNM DOCTORAL STUDENT NAMED DIRECTOR OF GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Marco Altamirano, a former University of New Mexico doctoral student, was named director of the Galapagos National Park Service recently. Ecuador’s Minister of Environment, Dr. Edgar Isch, appointed Altamirano in a ceremony held in the conference hall of the Galapagos National Park. The Galapagos National Park is Ecuador’s oldest and most prestigious national park. The Galapagos Marine Reserve, administered by the Galapagos National Park Service, is the third largest marine reserve in the world. Altamirano was selected for his strong academic and scientific record and his history of research in the Galapagos said the Minister’s representatives. Altamirano has been associated with the Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands since 1990 when he was a volunteer, and in the years following performing research as a student from UNM. Altamirano earned both his master’s degree in biology and completed his Ph.D. in ecology last fall from UNM. At UNM, Altamirano studied under Howard Snell, an associate professor in the Biology Department and program leader of vertebrate ecology and monitoring at the Charles Darwin Research Station located on the Galapagos Islands. Altamirano also earned a Ph.D. in biology from the Universidad Central of Ecuador. Altamirano’s scientific studies have focused on research in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians). Additionally, Altamirano has worked for various environmental organizations in Ecuador. Most recently, he was with the Jatun Sacha Foundation in the rainforest of Ecuador. # # #

The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
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