Griëtte van der Heide

Griëtte van der Heide is a 2020 National Geographic Explorer and Lecturer at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is currently completing her PhD in Biological Anthropology at the Owl Monkey Project (Yale University) in the Humid Chaco of Argentina, where she investigates how tree community functional and trophic effect traits shape the diet and nutritional ecology of Azara’s owl monkeys. Her work also explores the evolutionary drivers of pair-living and sexual monogamy in primates.

• Education: BSc & MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation (2008, Wageningen University); MA in Anthropology (2015, University of Texas at San Antonio)

Her research integrates plant functional ecology, phylogenetics, and remote sensing (via drones) to address primate conservation challenges in forests without habituated populations. She actively promotes canopy access techniques and teaches both "Primate Behavior" at CU Boulder and "Canopy Access Techniques" at ITEC in Panama. Her fieldwork focuses on gallery forests in Argentina’s Gran Chaco, one of the most threatened Neotropical biomes.

Her publications span primate nutritional ecology, seed dispersal dynamics, and forest phenology. Key themes include the role of functional and trophic plant traits in primate diets, spatiotemporal resource availability in tropical ecosystems, and methodological innovations in non-invasive canopy research.

Scientific Awards:

• 2020 National Geographic Explorer

As a educator and researcher, van der Heide bridges academic inquiry with practical conservation, emphasizing the interdependence of primate behavior and forest structure.