Project director HENRIK BALSLEV

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Professor, Ph.D., FLS, Born 4 January 1951 in Bukoba, Tanganyika, Citizen of Denmark. Cand. Scient. in Biology, Aarhus University (1978); Ph.D. in Botany, City University of New York (1982). Member of Danmarks Naturvidenskabelige Akademi, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, The Danish Natural Science Research Council (2001-2003). Golden Medal, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, 1998. Scientific Advisor to International Foundation for Science, 2001-2004. Member of the Governing Board, Natural History Museum, Aarhus, 1999-2004; head of Danish delegation to the Governing Board, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), 2001-. Chairman of the Board of the Danish Biodiversity Information Facility (DanBIF). He leads the research at the Department for Systematic Botany at the University of Aarhus and has extensive experience in tropical countries, particularly in the Andean region, and especially with development of higher education programs. He has lived in Ecuador for five years, and has visited Bolivia several times. He has supervised 15 Ph.D. students and about 25 M.Sc. students in topics including plant taxonomy, ethno-botany, economic botany, vegetation structure and dynamics.

Positions Held

1978–1981, Herbarium Fellow, The New York Botanical Garden; 1981–1983, Profesor de Botánica and Director del Herbario, P. Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito; 1983–1984, Associate Curator, The New York Botanical Garden; 1984–1989, Associate Professor (lektor), Aarhus University; 1989–1997, Senior Associate Professor (docent), Aarhus University; 1997–, Professor.

Administrative Experience

Director of the Herbarium, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito (1981–1984); Curator of the Herbarium, Botanisk Institut, Aarhus Universitet (1984–1994); Organizing Committee of Symposium on Tropical Forests, Aarhus Universitet (1988); Member of The Committee for Research related to Developing Countries at Aarhus University)(1988–1995); Member of Committee for PhD studies at University of Aarhus Faculty of Natural Sciences (1990–1995); Member of Committee for PhD studies, Institute of Biology, University of Aarhus (1991–1995); chairman of the Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus 1999-2000.

Selected Publications

Henrik Balslev has written about 90 scientific papers and authored, co-authored or co-edited 11 books, all dealing with the taxonomy of Neotropical plants or with the structure, diversity and dynamics of various vegetation types in South America, particularly in the Andes .

Balslev, H., J. L. Luteyn, B. Øllgaard & L. B. Holm-Nielsen. 1987. Composition and structure of adjacent unflooded and floodplain forest in Amazonian Ecuador. Opera Botanica 92: 37–57.

Holm-Nielsen, L. B., I. C. Nielsen & H. Balslev (eds.). 1989. Tropical Forests: Botanical Dynamics, Speciation and Diversity. pp. 1–380. Academic Press, London .

Poulsen, A. D. & H. Balslev, 1991. Abundance and cover of ground herbs in an Amazonian rain forest. Journal of Vegetation Science 2: 315–322.

Balslev, H. & J. L. Luteyn (eds.). 1992. Páramo. An Andean Ecosystem Under Human Influence. pp. 1–282. Academic Press, London .

Valencia, R., H. Balslev, & G. Paz y Miño. 1994. High tree alpha diversity in Amazonian Ecuador. Biodiversity and Conservation 3: 21–28.

Churchill, S. P., J. L. Luteyn, H. Balslev & E. Forero (eds.). 1995. Biodiversity and Conservation. Neotropical Montane Forests. pp. 1-702. The New York Botanical Garden , New York .

Balslev, H. 1996. Juncaceae In: Flora Neotropica Monographs 68:1-163.

Madsen, J., R. Mix & H. Balslev. 2001. Flora of Isla Puná: Plant resources on a Neotropical Island. Pp. 1–330. Aarhus University Press, Aarhus .

Kristensen, M. & H. Balslev. 2003. Perceptions, use and availability of woody plants among the Gourounsi in Burkina Faso . Biodiversity & Conservation. 12: 1715–1739.

Jaramillo, T. S., Muriel, P. & H. Balslev. 2004. Myristicaceae in Flora Ecuador (eds. G. Harling & L. Andersson). 72: 1–101.