In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Andrés Fuentes Ramírez, a biologist with a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Paola Arroyo Vargas, an engineer in renewable natural resources with a PhD in
fire
ecology, both based at the Ecosystems and Forests Laboratory at Universidad de la Frontera in
Chile
. Andrés and Paola explore an ecological perspective on researching how forests respond to increasingly severe fires, drawing on a decade of
monitoring
in the China Muerta Reserve. They also reflect on technologies such as
satellite
imagery and multispectral
drones
that are advancing scientific research. They urge listeners—whether researchers, policymakers, or concerned citizens—to engage with this research and support efforts to translate scientific findings into effective
land management
and fire prevention strategies.
Interviewers: Maya Errázuriz and Jennifer Gabrys
Producer: Harry Murdoch
Listen on Apple and Spotify
Language note: this interview takes place in Spanish.
This radio episode was produced by the Smart Forests project funded by the European Research Council. Smart Forests is led by Professor Jennifer Gabrys and is based in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge.
Header image: A burnt area in China Muerta with regrowth of Chilean bamboo, observed during a site visit with Paola Arroyo Vargas, Paula Tiara Torres, and Pablo González Rivas. Jennifer Gabrys, 2024.
Smart Forests Atlas materials are free to use for non-commercial purposes (with attribution) under a
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
To cite this radio episode:
Fuentes Ramírez, Andrés, Paola Arroyo Vargas, Maya Errázuriz, and Jennifer Gabrys, "Andrés Fuentes Ramírez and Paola Arroyo Vargas: Fire Ecology and Post-Fire Recovery," Smart Forests Atlas (2026), https://atlas.smartforests.net/en/radio/fire-recovery.