World Wildlife Fund

Conservation Science

Aurélie Shapiro

Remote Sensing Specialist

Areas of Expertise: Landscape Ecology, Remote sensing, applied GIS, spatial modeling, conservation planning

Aurélie Shapiro
© WWF

Aurélie joined the Conservation Science Program in 2007. Her research centers on the use of satellite imagery for conservation in both terrestrial and marine environments in WWF's priority places. Aurélie was first exposed to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing during her undergraduate study, and applied these skills in her final semester abroad in the republic of Panama. During an internship with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, she worked on a project with the Panama Canal Commission processing satellite imagery to locate areas of deforestation in the canal watershed, which lead to sedimentation of canal locks and expensive dredging operations. During her graduate study, she continued her work in Panama, and completed a project prioritizing areas for conservation in and around the Parque Internacional La Amistad. She used GIS and satellite imagery to identify small-scale biodiversity hotspots — areas with many endemic species under high threat of deforestation. Aurélie then started her career in marine remote sensing at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), using various types of satellite imagery to map and monitor coral reefs in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as map land-based threats to marine environments. Aurélie holds a joint Bachelors of Science in Biology and Environmental Sciences from McGill University, in Canada and a Master's of Environmental Management, with a specialization in Landscape Ecology from Duke University.

Email: aurelie.shapiro@wwfus.org

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