Remote sensing expert Robin Martin joins Mongabay’s board of directors

Mongabay is pleased to announce that Robin Martin has joined its board of directors. Robin is a professor of geography at Arizona State University where she works to connect place-based science in forests and on reefs with remote sensing.

Board President B. Holt Thrasher praised her science savvy in welcoming her to Mongabay: “Robin’s unique scientific perspective, grounded in geospatial data, earth observation and community outreach experience is a terrific addition to our board. We are thrilled she will be working with us.”

In response to her appointment, Robin said, “I have been extremely fortunate to work in the realm of science for conservation and management in many places around the world, on land and in the ocean.  There is still so much to learn from people and their places. I hope my enthusiasm and scientific knowledge will benefit Mongabay.”

When asked how she sees her role at Mongabay, she remarked that, “Environmental journalism is extremely important because it strives to place critical information–about our planet, its ecosystems and resources, and human impacts on them–into an accessible form. As a scientist, I often struggle to do this, and am grateful for journalists who find ways to tell the story of science.”

She joins Mongabay at a time of continued growth: in 2020 the website and its multiple language sub-sites experienced record readership–averaging 10 million people a month–and witnessed the launch of a tenth language it now publishes in, Hindi, India’s most widely spoken language.

“Robin has helped pioneer new ways of understanding the world around us, including remotely mapping biodiversity and ecosystem function in forests and oceans,” said Mongabay’s founder and CEO, Rhett A. Butler. “Her wealth of scientific expertise is a strong addition to Mongabay’s board at a time when we’re developing new data sources to inform our environmental reporting.”

Robin is also co-founder and co-director of the non-profit Hawaii Marine Education and Research Center which connects communities, NGOs, and state institutions with timely scientific information on the marine environment of the Hawaiian Islands.

Robin Martin during a dive with her team.