Secretary IE USA
FLS. Director Tropic Ventures Sustainable Forestry & Rainforest Enrichment Project in Puerto Rico. President Tropic Ventures Research & Education Foundation, and co-founder of Puerto Rico Hardwoods. Fellow of the Linnean Society & World Academy of Art & Science.
Performance Scientist, Research Artist, Sustainable Forestry
Born: Nairobi, Kenya, Resident of Puerto Rico, British & U.S. Citizen,
Biography
Thrity “3T” Vakil, FLS, is a research artist, performance scientist, ecotechnician, and sustainable forestry practitioner whose work bridges rainforest restoration, botany, conservation horticulture, forestry innovation, ecological field research, trail building and maintenance, expeditionary culture, and the arts.
Since 2007, 3t has served as president of Tropic Ventures Research & Education Foundation (TVREF) at Las Casas de la Selva in southeastern Puerto Rico, a 1,000-acre sustainable forestry & rainforest enrichment project established in 1983 as a living demonstration of ecological restoration, sustainable management of secondary tropical forests, and environmentally grounded economic development. See www.eyeontherainforest.org
For more than two decades, 3t has worked directly in tropical forestry operations, including seed and seedling collection, tree propagation, tree identification, selective harvesting, sawmill operations, wood drying, forest monitoring, and endangered endemic species conservation. She has led more than sixty Earthwatch research expeditions into the rainforest, coordinating teams engaged in biodiversity monitoring, forest measurement, tree planting, and ecological observation.
3t directs endangered species conservation and recovery efforts within the Tropic Ventures forest and has collaborated with internationally recognized botanists and Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) in the survey and propagation of critically endangered endemic tree species in Puerto Rico.
An associate of the Institute of Ecotechnics since 1990 and, since 2007, a director of the organization, 3t has worked across diverse interdisciplinary fields including ecology, ocean expeditions, event management, theater, visual arts, environmental education, and performance culture. From 1995 to 1998, she served as Assistant to the Expedition Chief aboard the Institute of Ecotechnics research vessel RV Heraclitus during a major coral reef research diving expedition with the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation, spanning the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean. The expedition conducted reef surveys, ecological mapping, marine biodiversity monitoring, and cultural exchange programs across Egypt, Oman, the Maldives, the Seychelles, India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya.
In 2015, 3t co-founded Puerto Rico Hardwoods, Inc., pioneering large-scale hardwood salvage and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, she helped lead initiatives to recover hundreds of valuable tropical hardwood trees that otherwise would have been sent to landfill, transforming storm debris into long-term material resources while advocating for local, sustainable wood economies.
3t is a Fellow of the Linnean Society and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science. In 2021, she received an Innovation Award from Yale University’s International Society of Tropical Foresters in recognition of her interdisciplinary work connecting forestry, ecology, conservation, and community engagement.
Alongside her scientific and forestry work, 3t maintains an active visual arts practice. Her paintings explore ecological systems, metaphysical botany, inner landscapes, and the relationships between consciousness, environment, and transformation. She has held solo exhibitions in Puerto Rico and continues to develop interdisciplinary projects integrating art, science, ecology, and environmental stewardship. See www.3tvakil.com
CV
| 2025 – Present | Director & Secretary, Global Ecotechnics Corporation |
| 2015 – Present | Co-founder & President, Puerto Rico Hardwoods, Inc. |
| 2012 – Present | Founder & Member Council for Development of Agroforestry in PR (CADA) |
| 2007 – Present | Director, Institute of Ecotechnics (USA & UK) |
| 2007 – Present | President, Tropic Ventures Research & Education Foundation (TVREF), PR |
| 2007 – 2016 | Principal Investigator, Earthwatch Expeditions at Tropic Ventures, PR |
| 2007 – Present | Director, Tropic Ventures Rainforest Enrichment & Sustainable Forestry |
| 2013 – 2016 | Director, Ecotechnics Maritime Ltd. |
| Fellowships & Distinctions | |
| 2016 – Present | Fellow, The Linnean Society |
| 2008 – Present | Fellow, World Academy of Art & Science |
| 2021 | Innovation Award, International Society of Tropical Foresters, Yale University |
| Professional Experience | |
| 1999 – 2007 | Tropic Ventures Rainforest Enrichment Project, Puerto Rico Manager and crew member for selective felling, hauling, sawmilling, drying operations, hardwood marketing, and sales.
Synergia Ranch, Santa Fe, New Mexico Co-manager of organic fruit farm operations including irrigation system design, tree care, pruning, composting, harvesting, pest management, and fruit marketing and sales. Synergetic Press Publishing Company Research artist, web designer, and marketing support. Institute of Ecotechnics / Global Ecotechnics Web design and archive management. |
| 1999 – 2003 | International Bantu Dance & Drumming Festival Co-chef for approximately 250 participants during the annual three-week festival at Synergia Ranch, NM |
| 1998 – 1999 | Travel, research, writing, and painting throughout East Africa including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, with additional periods working in California, Oregon, and Washington. |
| 1995 – 1998 | Indian Ocean & Southeast Asia Coral Reef Research Expedition
Assistant to Expedition Chief, RV Heraclitus Participated in a major marine research expedition crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean. Primary responsibilities included:
Research sites included Red Sea, Egypt, Oman, the Maldives, Seychelles, & Kenya. |
| 1994 – 1995
|
Zippy Pronoia Rave Tour, United States: Member and ambient architect for a cross-country cultural expedition integrating performance, art, technology, and alternative media. Collaborated and interacted with figures including Paolo Soleri, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, Terence McKenna, RU Sirius, John Perry Barlow, Dee-Lite, Lady Miss Kier, and Goa Gil. |
| 1993 – 1994 | Megatripolis, Heaven Nightclub, London Crew member and ambient architect. October Gallery, London House manager and rentals coordinator. Freud Communications designer and scenic painter for major events including productions associated with Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast. Dandy Fellows freelance painting and design. |
| 1991 – 1993
|
Independent exploration of painting, performance, and dance traditions in India and Nepal. |
| 1985 – 1991
|
Ambient architect within the UK rave alternative arts and performance scene
Co-founder of Dandy Fellows performance and production design collective Chief Scenic Artist for Apollo Leisure Theatre Production Company Designer and Chief Scenic Artist for the Academy of Live & Recorded Arts, UK Scenic artist for West End theatre, repertory theatre, and touring UK productions Apprentice to master scenic artist Mary Coxon across England, Ireland, and Scotland |
| Selected Publications | |
| 2025
|
Caslin, M.W.; Katti, M.; Nelson, S.A.C.; Vakil, T. Tabonuco and Plantation Forests at Higher Elevations Are More Vulnerable to Hurricane Damage and Slower to Recover in Southeastern Puerto Rico. Land 2025, 14, 1324. |
| 2019
|
Forero Montaña, J.; Zimmerman, J.; Vakil, T.; Nelson, M.; Perez, M.E.; Medin, J. A Narrow Size Diameter Class Model for Tree Growth and Yield Simulation in a Mahoe Plantation in Puerto Rico. |
| 2011
|
Nelson, M.; Silverstone, S.; Reiss, K.C.; Robertson, M.; Vakil, T. Enriched Secondary Subtropical Forest Through Line-Planting for Sustainable Timber Production in Puerto Rico. Bois et Forêts des Tropiques. |
| 2010
|
Nelson, M.; Silverstone, S.; Reiss, K.C.; Burrowes, P.; Joglar, R.; Robertson, M.; Vakil, T. The Impact of Hardwood Line-Planting on Tree and Amphibian Diversity in a Secondary Subtropical Wet Forest of Southeast Puerto Rico. Journal of Sustainable Forestry. |
| 2017
|
Vakil, T. et al. The Value and Opportunities of Community- and Citizen-Based Approaches to Tropical Forest Biodiversity Monitoring. Chapter contribution in A Sourcebook of Methods and Procedures for Monitoring Essential Biodiversity Variables in Tropical Forests with Remote Sensing. |
| Selected Conferences, Exhibitions & Projects |
|
| 2026 | Solo Exhibition of Paintings, La Quna Gallery, Caguas, Puerto Rico |
| 2025 | Solo Exhibition of Paintings, Museo de Arte e Historia Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, PR |
| 2024 | U.S. Forest Service Rare Plant Partnership with TVREF |
| 2021 – 2023 | 3-Year Endangered Endemic Survey & Propagation Project with BGCI & TVREF |
| 2019 | Symposium Co-organizer, No Escape: The Reality of Climate Change, Here and Now, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| 2012 – 2015 | Organizer and participant in annual Institute of Ecotechnics conferences and forestry symposia in Puerto Rico, France, Catalonia, and New Mexico. |
| Selected Presentations |
|
| 2024 | Jardín Botánico Cartagena, Colombia |
| 2023 | New School of the Anthropocene, October Gallery, London |
| 2023 | Florida Gulf Coast Water School Conferences |
| 2023 | National Botanic Garden, Havana, Cuba |
| 2022 | Caribbean and Central American Botanic Gardens Network Congress, Bahamas |
| Press & Media |
|
| 2021 | Featured in Conserve Magazine discussing endangered endemic conservation efforts in Puerto Rico. |
| 2021 | Global Tree Campaign partnership announcement with Eye on the Rainforest. |
| 2021 | Featured presentation: Re-examining Crises as Opportunities for Change: Sustainable Forestry, Log Salvage, and Hardwood Production after Extreme Social, Ecological & Technological Disturbances in Puerto Rico. |
| 2018 | Featured in The Ecologist Magazine: Saving Hurricane-Felled Trees in Puerto Rico. |
| 2025 | New Art Examiner (UK) Feature article by Miklos Nikolaus Legrady: 3T Vakil: Eyes on the Rainforest, Science & Art in Puerto Rico. |
| Education | |
| BA (Hons) – 3-Dimensional Theatre Design Trent Nottingham University, United Kingdom | |
| Foundation Diploma in Art & Design Wimbledon School of Art, London | |
| A-Levels South Thames College, London | |
| O-Levels Pelham High School, London | |
Artistic Practice: 3t’s visual artwork explores ecological systems, metaphysical botany, consciousness, transformation, and the relationship between inner and environmental landscapes. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates decades of rainforest immersion, ecological observation, performance culture, and experimental process. Her paintings and mixed-media works have been exhibited in Puerto Rico and continue to evolve through ongoing research into ecology, perception, and environmental transformation.