PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense - Elizabeth M. Schierbeek - Environmental Science and Policy

PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
College of Science
George Mason University

Candidate: Elizabeth M. Schierbeek
Defense Date and Time: April 24, 2026 at 11:00am
Defense Location: Virtual on Zoom
Title: Biocultural Landscapes of the Peruvian Amazon: Integrating Remote Sensing and Spatial Modeling to Assess Infrastructure Development in Maijuna Ancestral Territory

Dissertation Director: Dr. Michael P. Gilmore
Committee: Dr. Brian M. Griffiths, Dr. Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron, Dr. Ronald Resmini, and Dr. Diego Valderrama

ABSTRACT

The proposed dissertation examines the intersection of value systems within Maijuna ancestral territory in the Peruvian Amazon. Using integrated social-ecological system and biocultural conservation frameworks, it centers Indigenous knowledge while evaluating interactions with state-led infrastructure development. It maps aboveground biomass/carbon using spaceborne remote sensing, models mineral licks as biocultural keystone places, and assesses projected road development implications. Beyond scientific contributions, it will generate data to inform conservation planning and infrastructure policy debates in the Peruvian Amazon and demonstrate the necessity of approaches that move beyond viewing forests solely as carbon or resource reservoirs but as territories sustaining diverse biocultural futures.