Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean

The document outlines transdisciplinary (TD) research practices through seven case studies in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the co-creation of solutions for global environmental change. It emphasizes the shift from 'ecosystem services' to 'Nature’s Contributions to People' (NCP) and highlights the necessity of epistemic justice, community leadership, and the role of 'brokers' or liaisons in bridging gaps between academic scientists and local stakeholders. Key examples include wildfire monitoring in the Amazon, biodiversity monitoring in Panama, women's empowerment in the Jamaican coffee industry, community conservation in Mexico, sanitation in Brazil, watershed protection in Uruguay, and social water management in Colombia.

• The MAP-Fire project in Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia utilized a transdisciplinary approach to mitigate wildfire risks in the Amazon, creating the TerraMA2 platform for near real-time fire alerts and translating technical remote sensing data into accessible educational materials, such as the book 'É Fogo!'.
• In Panama, the Community-based Ecological Monitoring and Empowerment in Ngäbe Communities project demonstrated that mediation by trusted liaisons is critical when working with Indigenous communities who may mistrust government entities due to prior conflicts.
• The Jamaican Women in Coffee (JAWiC) project improved coffee production and farm management for women in the Blue Mountains by co-designing training in soil management and organic farming, which helped overcome gender imbalances and initial mistrust of government initiatives.
• The El Limón Community Conservation and Environmental Education Program in Mexico highlights the success of community-led conservation over federal government-managed models, utilizing a field station as a neutral space for collaboration between the university and local inhabitants.
• The Sanear Amazônia project in Brazil implemented community-based sanitation technologies for extractivist and ribeirinhos populations, resulting in a 65% average decrease in diarrhea morbidity and a 22% reduction in intestinal parasites among children.
• In Uruguay, the Solís Grande Stream watershed project used a 'territory-based approach'—visiting every household—and 'collective synthesis' to co-create a protected area policy and management plan with local farmers and government officials.
• The Social Water Management initiative in Colombia's Coello and Cucuana river basins used the Citizen Action Conversatory (CAC) mechanism to empower peasants and urban leaders, leading to a 2017 popular consultation that banned the La Colosa Regional Mine.
• A synthesis of the case studies identifies several universal transdisciplinary skills: the need for 'bridge builders' (brokers) to manage diverse team dynamics, the importance of co-creating objectives with communities to ensure sustainability, and the necessity of translating scientific findings into accessible formats.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/English/TD_Case_Studies_CompleteBook.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean. 2025. https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/English/TD_Case_Studies_CompleteBook.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean |date=2025 |url=https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/English/TD_Case_Studies_CompleteBook.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025transdisciplinary, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Transdisciplinary Research in Action in Latin America and the Caribbean}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/TD%20Books/English/TD_Case_Studies_CompleteBook.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }