SERVIR Profile of Africa Flores

Name: Africa Flores
Affiliation: NASA/SERVIR SCO
Role/Title: Land Cover Land Use Change & Ecosystems Theme Lead / SERVIR-Amazonia Science Coordination Lead
Year you joined SERVIR: 2008

Please introduce yourself. What are you passionate about?
I'm passionate about learning and discovering. From a very young age, when I still didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up, I knew I wanted to keep learning. I now know that that was my driver for science, that curiosity directed my journey to work in the job I love today, working with Earth observation datasets to better understand our world. The understanding that I don't have all the answers, but that I can work hard to find them is part of the learning process.

What initially attracted you to this field of work?
My first-hand experience in seeing the rapid degradation of natural resources in my home country of Guatemala made me realize from a very young age that something needed to be done.  That's why I studied natural resources management back in Guatemala.

What SERVIR activity are you currently working on?
I'm working on the Land Cover Land Use Change & Ecosystems (LCLUC) thematic area from the global perspective. Currently, one of the main activities I'm leading is the Capacity Building on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for forest monitoring and biomass estimation.

How does your work generate positive change?
I like to create opportunities for the SERVIR network to grow and become a lead on Earth observation applications for LCLUC. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the SERVIR hubs to meet and better understand their needs. My role is to find the right mix of skills and tools to help the hubs build internal capacity to achieve their goals. It's very fulfilling to work with like-minded individuals - in a very unique and culturally diverse environment - where we share similar passions and a commitment to working together in creating positive change.