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Land System Science Research at a Liberal Arts College
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​We study patterns and processes of land and vegetation change at different spatial and temporal scales. 
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People
Xavier Haro-Carrión:​
Xavier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Macalester College.  His research broadly focuses on evaluating land and vegetation change processes using satellite and drone imagery, as well as understanding the drivers and consequences of these processes.
Products:
See Xavier’s publications here
Evelyn Kent:
Evelyn ‘25 is a Geography major currently working on a project that uses PlanetScope satellite and drone data coupled with vegetation ground inventories to evaluate the geographic extent of key forest types and the variation in aboveground biomass among them in a fragmented landscape in coastal Ecuador. 
Products:
Evelyn is using this research as her Honors project in Geography
Lucas Eggers
Lucas ‘25 is a Geography major currently working on a project that uses PlanetScope satellite and drone data coupled with vegetation ground inventories to quantify aboveground biomass in a fragmented landscape in coastal Ecuador
Products:
Lucas is a collaborator in Evelyn Kent's honors project in Geography.
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Sam Menicke
Sam ‘24 is a Biology major and Geospatial Science minor who worked on a project using Landsat satellite data and vegetation plot inventories to evaluate forest recovery 20 years post-fire in Glacier National Park, Montana.
Products:
Menicke et al. Post-Fire Forest Recovery in a Mesic Mixed-Conifer Landscape: Analyzing Burn Severity and Plant Species Regeneration in Northwestern Montana, 2003-2023. (In preparation for Fire Ecology)
Jane Slentz-Kelser
Jane ‘24 is a Geography major who worked on a project using PlanetScope satellite data and household surveys to analyze community forest management around the COMATSA Sud protected area in Madagascar.
Products:
Slentz-Kesler, J. 2024. Community Conservation in Madagascar: Aligning Local Livelihoods and Biodiversity Protection. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. Department of Geography, Macalester College.
Nick Jacobson
Nick 22’ conducted a project using PlanetSope satellite data to quantify the geographic extent of bamboo (Guadua angustifolia) patches in a forest-agricultural landscape in coastal Ecuador.
​Products:
Jacobson, N. 2022. Bamboosled: Bamboo Coverage within a Fragmented Semi-Deciduous Forest Landscape in Coastal Ecuador.Undergraduate Honors Thesis. Department of Geography, Macalester College.
Jacob Orser
​Jacob ‘23 (Geography) collaborated on a project led by faculty and students from the Department of Biology about wolf predation on beavers in Minnesota, contributing by conducting a landscape classification based on PlanetScope satellite data.
Products:
Chakrabarti S, Munster A, Orser J, Haro-Carrión X et al. Non-consumptive Predation Effect of Wolves on Beavers (In preparation for Peer J)

R​esearch Opportunities
Land-use / land-cover change and their impacts on biodiversity in a highly human-modified landscapes in Ecuador ​

​Prof. Haro-Carrión long-term research seeks to understand land and vegetation change over space and time and the implication of these changes for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Below are current research opportunities:  
Conservation Priorities for the New Bamboo Extractive Sector in Coastal Ecuador

This project evaluates the contribution of bamboo to conservation efforts in coastal Ecuador. While fieldwork has concluded, two analyses are still ongoing:
  • Estimation of bamboo extent coverage using satellite imagery.
  • Evaluation of bamboo’s contribution to biodiversity conservation, using the map generated in Analysis 1 alongside ground inventories of primates, birds, and trees.

​I will be actively working on these analyses during summer 2025 and welcome student involvement. 
Integrating Local Perceptions and Satellite Observations to Understand Land Use and Environmental Change

​This project integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to assess environmental and land-use change.

Household focus group data was collected in summer 2024 and is currently being analyzed to identify key themes related to land-use and environmental change. Once identified, we will attempt to quantify these changes using satellite imagery.

Contingent to finalizing focus group data analysis, there might be opportunities for students for summer 2025.

​Students interested in this research may also contact me about opportunities in Spring 2026 as part of an advanced class in Geography.
Prof. Haro-Carrión courses @ MAC​
​Courses related to the study of human-environment systems within the framework of Land System Science at Macalester vary along two axes: a conceptual-technical axis and a human-biophysical subsystem focus axis. At the introductory level, Earth and the Environment primarily focuses on Physical Geography, while also incorporating some critical aspects of Human Geography. Remote Sensing of the Environment and Advanced Remote Sensing concentrate on techniques used to understand and measure changes in land surface. Our Changing Planet is a seminar where students discuss land system dynamics from both methodological and theoretical perspectives, including the drivers and consequences of the analyzed changes.​
Neotropical Landscapes (NL) and Environment and Society in Latin America (ESLA) are regional courses. NL has a stronger focus on biophysical aspects, while ESLA delves more deeply into the human system.

LINKS

Check out some students projects at Remote Sensing @ Macalester
Department of Geography @ Macalester College
Department of Latin American Studies @ Macalester College
RG
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