Patricio Picón-Rentería
Entomologist
Patricio Picón-Rentería has been an entomologist at the Charles Darwin Foundation since October 2024, and is currently working in the Scalesia Forest Restoration and Terrestrial Invasive Species programme. He started volunteering with CDF in 2018, and has since worked as a researcher at the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH) on the study of the order Hymenoptera in the Galapagos Islands, in collaboration with CDF. His work has contributed to the knowledge of the biodiversity of insects in these islands, especially that of microwasps. Patricio received his B.Sc. in Biology with a major in Ecology and Management from the Universidad de Azuay and his M.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Patricio's programs
Land
Scalesia forest restorationScalesia forests once thrived on the Galapagos Islands, forming a unique humid ecosystem for plants, insects, giant tortoises and birds. Today, only 1% of the forests’ original distribution remains, with several endemic species, including the Scalesia themselves, struggling to survive. We are working to restore this important habitat and given the rapid rate of forest loss, it is a race against time.