MaFe Gonzalez

University of California, Berkeley | Master in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning | Berkeley, 2019 - 2022

National University of Colombia | Master in Science-Biology |Meritorious Thesis Award | Bogotá, 2015 - 2017

National University of Colombia | B.Sc in Biology | Bogotá, 2006 - 2011

Mafe is a botanist with a strong interest in taxonomy, ecology and conservation of forests. She has participated in several research projects organized by the Institute of Natural Sciences of the National University of Colombia, Humboldt Research Institute, Amazonian Institute of Scientific Research (SINCHI) and Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia). She participated in research internships at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on participatory monitoring of endangered flora species, at Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) identifying historical plant collections of the Neotropics and at the Ulu Temburong National Park (Brunei) identifying tree species with the greatest food supply for wildlife.

MaFe’s journey into landscape architecture began relatively recently, when from botany she began to feel the need to participate in the world-making and to propose, through design, spaces to re-establish reciprocal relationships between people and the environment. Her work’s approach is basically defined in 3 steps: 1) See the environment in which she is working and try to understand its complexities, 2) Follow her environmental and social philosophies and ethics: each design is a statement of values, 3) Propose alternatives to grow livable dreamed worlds.Her biggest inspiration are plants! MaFe’s life goals are to feel like plants and think like mountains.