Mariaelena Huambachano

Mariaelena Huambachano, is an Indigenous scholar and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Society and Community Studies at the School of Human Ecology, and Director of Biodiversity Protection and Indigeneity at the UW, Madison. Her research focuses on the intersection of food sovereignty, agrobiodiversity, sustainability, and climate justice. She works using the ‘Khipu Model,’ which is an Indigenous research-based and community-based participatory framework that she developed to give voice to and recognize the unique knowledge of Indigenous peoples globally. She is also an active member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the lead author in the global report on the ‘values’ assessment of nature of the Intergovernmental Panel of Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES).