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Associate Professor, Forest Resources & Conservation/Latin American Studies
210 Newins-Ziegler Hall
P.O. Box 110410
Gainesville, FL 32611-0410
Tel: 352-846-0833
Fax: 352-846-1277
E-mail: kkainer@ufl.edu
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Research Interests
Tropical forest ecology, community forestry management, tropical conservation and development
Geographic Expertise
Western Amazon and Mexico
Courses
LAS 6290/FOR 6628 Community Forest Management
FOR 4060 Global Forests
Background
Kainer has a joint appointment with the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the Center for Latin American Studies, working closely with the Center's Tropical Conservation and Development Program.
Kainer initiated her work in Latin America as a forest extensionist with the U.S. Peace Corps in Paraguay. Most of her research has been conducted in Western Amazonia, concentrating on studies in the Brazilian state of Acre. Her research focuses on advancement and application of the ecological sciences to support conservation of neotropical ecosystems through sustainable use. She emphasizes research applications for community-based forest management systems, a very important, but often neglected stakeholder group which few ecological research programs target. To better understand the broader cultural and socioeconomic context in which communities manage their forest resources, she also integrates social science concepts and methods into her research agenda. Kainer is also keenly interested in the role of graduate education as a contributor to conservation and livelihood improvement in tropical regions. Her recent capacity building and research efforts in Mexico reflect this interest. She has received research grants and fellowships from USAID's Higher Education for Development Program, the Fulbright Program for U.S. Scholars, National Science Foundation,The MacArthur Foundation, The Inter-American Foundation, and the American Association of University Women among others. Results of Kainer's research can be found in Forest Ecology and Management, Biotropica, Ecology and Society, Biological Conservation, Science, Conservation Biology, Society and Natural Resources, and Ecological Applications among others. Kainer previously served as graduate faculty of a multidisciplinary sustainable systems program at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania (1997–2000). She received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida's School of Forest Resources and Conservation, specializing in tropical forest ecology.