Fiorella Briceño
Fiorella Briceño is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Amazon Riverscapes Initiative within the Tropical Rivers Lab at Florida International University, where she leads conservation efforts and research on freshwater ecosystems in Peru. Her work includes stakeholder mapping, rapid assessments of riverine communities' perceptions of the 2023 low water event, and an analysis of large catfish fisheries in the Amazon.
Fiorella is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist from Peru who has dedicated her career to addressing socio-ecological challenges in the Peruvian Amazon. She has extensive experience in developing, managing, and contributing to a diverse portfolio of interdisciplinary research projects focused on conserving species, habitats, landscapes, and ancestral lands.
Fiorella holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Universidad Ricardo Palma in Peru and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University in the United States. Her doctoral research focused on wild meat consumption in Iquitos, one of the most populated Amazonian cities, exploring its relationship with economic stability, food security, and species conservation.
She is committed to creating a more equitable, inclusive, and racially diverse environmental movement. Fiorella is passionate about developing scientific knowledge, translating and communicating science to the public, and advocating for the protection of biodiversity and local communities in the Amazon rainforest.
Contact: fbriceno@fiu.edu
Active Projects:
Drought in the Amazon: Social-Ecological Consequences
In 2023, the Amazon experienced its most severe drought on record over the past ~100 years. Our research explores the consequences of extreme low water conditions for riparian human communities along the triple frontier between Peru-Colombia-Brazil, and strategies for adaptation to future extreme events.
La Ruta de Pesca de los Grandes Bagres Amazónicos
In collaboration with Vanessa Rodriguez, this effort aims to understand migration patterns, population change, and local management of large Amazonian catfishes, through the knowledge and lived experiences of fishers along the Amazon River in Loreto, Peru.