Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean: Case Studies
The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents “Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean”, a book that brings together emblematic case studies on how science, policy, and communities are working together to address the challenges of global environmental change in the region.
The book is part of the IAI's Transdisciplinary Academy teaching materials and is aimed at researchers in the early and middle stages of their careers, as well as professionals from government, universities, and the private sector interested in applying transdisciplinary science approaches at the science-policy interface. The editors are Gabriela Alonso Yáñez, Lily House-Peters, Héctor Turra Chico, Marshalee Valentine, and Jorge Rubiano.
The eight case studies document experiences of knowledge co-creation between academics, local communities, NGOs, and public authorities from the Amazon to the Caribbean, in indigenous territories in Panama, rural areas in Mexico, and coffee plantations in Jamaica. Among the featured cases are:
- The MAP-Fire Project in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia: a tri-national initiative to mitigate forest fires in the Amazon through collaborative science and environmental education.
- Community ecological monitoring in Panama: a project led by Ngäbe communities that combines ancestral knowledge with science to protect biodiversity in indigenous territories.
- Empowerment of women coffee farmers in Jamaica: an experience in strengthening the capacities and economic resilience of women coffee producers.
- Environmental education in El Limón, Mexico: a story of conservation based on community knowledge and long-term inter-institutional action.
In addition to presenting innovative methodologies, the book highlights the importance of recognizing local knowledge in the face of the need to generate sustainable solutions to address the impact of extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
The free, self-paced, certificate course “Advances in Transdisciplinary Research on Global Environmental Change in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which analyzes this book with transdisciplinary experts from the Americas, is available in English and Spanish on the IAI Virtual Campus.
The open access publication can be downloaded in English and Spanish at:
Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean. Case studies - https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/English/TD_Case_Studies_CompleteBook.pdf.
Investigación transdisciplinaria en acción en América Latina y el Caribe. Estudios de caso - https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/Espanol/IAI_EstudiosDeCasoTD_LibroCompleto.pdf.