Investigación transdisciplinaria en acción en América Latina y el Caribe

The document provides a comprehensive guide to transdisciplinary (TD) science through seven case studies in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay. It emphasizes the integration of academic knowledge with local and indigenous systems to create actionable solutions for global environmental change. Key themes include the necessity of 'bridge-builders' in leadership, the importance of epistemic justice, and the shift from 'ecosystem services' to 'nature's contributions to people' (NCP). The case studies cover diverse issues such as Amazonian forest fires, community biodiversity monitoring, gender gaps in coffee farming, and public sanitation in riverine communities. A final synthesis identifies critical success factors: inclusive leadership, co-design of goals with communities, and the translation of technical data into accessible formats for local decision-making.

• Transdisciplinary science is defined as a problem-based, solution-oriented approach that integrates knowledge from multiple disciplines and social actors—including indigenous leaders, civil society, and policymakers—to provide actionable information for public and private sectors.
• The document advocates for 'epistemic justice' to dismantle colonialism in knowledge production by actively valuing the knowledge systems of historically marginalized groups.
• There is a conceptual shift from the traditional 'ecosystem services' framework, which is viewed as a neoliberal approach that monetizes nature, toward the 'nature's contributions to people' (NCP) framework that recognizes non-monetary values and diverse worldviews.
• The MAP-Fire project in Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia utilized a transdisciplinary approach to mitigate forest fire risks in the Amazon, creating a georeferenced platform and translating technical remote sensing data into an accessible book titled 'É Fogo!' for primary students.
• In Panama, a community ecological monitoring project with the Ngäbe people highlighted the need for mediators to overcome community distrust of government entities and the necessity of linking conservation goals with local economic sustenance.
• The JAWiC project in Jamaica addressed gender imbalances in the coffee industry by using a co-design process with women farmers in the Blue Mountains to provide training in soil management and organic agriculture, resulting in increased production and confidence.
• In Mexico, the El Limón community project demonstrates that conservation initiatives led by the community, rather than those managed by the federal government, are more successful in protecting biodiversity and documenting traditional medicinal practices.
• The Sanear Amazônia project in Brazil implemented community-based public sanitation technologies in the Amazon, reducing diarrhea morbidity by an average of 65% and intestinal parasite morbidity by 22% in the first communities.
• In Uruguay, the creation of the Solís Grande stream protected area was achieved through a 'territorial approach' and 'collective synthesis,' involving nearly all local residents to align conservation with productive land use.
• The water management process in Colombia's Coello and Cucuana rivers used participatory action research to empower citizens, leading to the 2017 popular consultation in Cajamarca that prohibited the 'La Colosa' open-pit mining project.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Investigación transdisciplinaria en acción en América Latina y el Caribe. https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/Espanol/IAI_EstudiosDeCasoTD_LibroCompleto.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Investigación transdisciplinaria en acción en América Latina y el Caribe. 2025. https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/Espanol/IAI_EstudiosDeCasoTD_LibroCompleto.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Investigación transdisciplinaria en acción en América Latina y el Caribe |date=2025 |url=https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/Espanol/IAI_EstudiosDeCasoTD_LibroCompleto.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025investigacin, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Investigación transdisciplinaria en acción en América Latina y el Caribe}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/Espanol/IAI_EstudiosDeCasoTD_LibroCompleto.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }