Sebastian Acevedo

Sebastian grew up in Portland, Oregon and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Immersed in the biodiversity of Pacific Northwest forests and tropical beaches, Sebastian’s love of learning about the world’s living creatures steadily grew. Hiking and scuba diving became core activities in these years, passions that would continue to grow long after he and his family moved to live in Oregon full time. He started birding in high school and went to California to study biology.

Sebastian graduated from Santa Clara University with BS degrees in Biology and Environmental Science. As a research assistant in an ecology lab, he was introduced to the process of analyzing data to better understand and conserve bird populations. His first exposure to studying birds in the field came from a summer internship with Boise State University and The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of raptors. Sebastian has this internship and its generous mentors to thank for launching a fascination with raptor ecology and conservation.

Raptors have become a dedicated research passion for Sebastian. In college, he continued working with The Peregrine Fund and spent two field seasons in western Alaska as part of their Gyrfalcon and Tundra Conservation Program. He conducted nest surveys and nestling banding/research for Gyrfalcons, Golden Eagles, and Rough-legged Hawks, vital predators in Arctic ecosystems. He went on to continue studying Gyrfalcons as a Fulbright fellow in Iceland, during which he assessed Gyrfalcon breeding success in combination with the abundance of a primary prey species, Rock Ptarmigan. He returned to the US and spent a season counting and banding migrating raptors as a field technician for HawkWatch International.

Sebastian is extremely excited to not only grow as a raptor biologist, but as a holistic conservationist with the Conservation Biology MSc Program. New to South Africa, he is eager to explore Cape Town’s diverse landscapes and people, and looks forward to getting to know his program mentors and fellow students.