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The Bridging ecosystem services and territorial planning (BEST-P) initiative is a research project focused on integrating the concept of Ecosystem Services (ES) into land use and territorial planning across southern South America. The project analyzes the biophysical and human dimensions of landscapes in the Rio de la Plata Grasslands, the Gran Chaco dry-forests, and the Valdivian forests to develop toolboxes for zoning and planning that balance production and conservation.

This executive summary describes a project and the creation of the Nitrogen, Society, and Environment Network (Nnet) to increase knowledge of the continental nitrogen cycle in Latin America. The initiative focuses on measuring biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), atmospheric deposition, and the impacts of human activities—such as soy production, mining, and urbanization—on nitrogen reservoirs and ecosystem biodiversity across several countries.

A case study proposal by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) to evaluate the impact of green spaces on heatstroke-related illnesses in Mexico City, utilizing an open science framework and public consultation to identify vulnerability hotspots.

This executive summary describes a project led by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research to establish the Nitrogen Human Environment Network (Nnet). The project aims to map the nitrogen (N) cycle across Latin America, analyzing the impacts of human activities—such as fertilizer use, soy production, and mining—on ecosystem processes and biodiversity to provide guidelines for regional nitrogen management policies.

This executive summary describes an interdisciplinary project aimed at improving climate information systems to support public decision-making regarding drought response and food security in Guatemala.

This executive summary describes a project aimed at quantifying how inland activities and climate change impact coastal resources in several Caribbean island nations. The project utilizes hydrological modeling of 84 catchments to analyze the flow of water, sediments, and contaminants to coastal ecosystems to support sustainable management and restoration.

This executive summary outlines a human dimensions project focused on improving the flow of climate information between scientists and policymakers in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The project aims to enhance adaptive management of water resources by analyzing the combined impacts of East Pacific cyclones and the North American Monsoon on human systems, particularly in the context of chronic water scarcity and growing demand.

This executive summary details a study on the institutional capacity to respond to climate change impacts on water resources and agriculture across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The research identifies significant gaps in adaptive capacity, particularly for vulnerable populations, and suggests policy interventions to mitigate climate and water stresses.

This executive summary describes a project evaluating the effectiveness of forest reserves and payments for ecosystem services (PSAs) in reducing deforestation within tropical dry forests in Costa Rica and Brazil, emphasizing the need to control for biophysical and socioeconomic drivers to avoid overestimating policy impacts.

The ADAPTE project provides interdisciplinary expertise from the US and Latin America to help city authorities plan for the health impacts of extreme weather and air pollution, focusing on quantifying exposure, understanding socio-economic vulnerability, and assessing adaptation responses.

A research project is using 1980-2005 data and WRF modeling to analyze how agricultural and forestry expansion affects the hydroclimate, hydrological characteristics, and extreme weather events (floods and droughts) in the Plata Basin. The project introduces Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) to better model annual land cover evolution.

This executive summary describes a research project investigating how coffee farmers in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Costa Rica respond to extreme weather, pests, diseases, and price volatility since 1997. The study evaluates coping strategies and the effectiveness of government and non-government programs to develop tools for vulnerable growers facing global change.

This executive summary describes a project analyzing the capacity of institutions to respond to climate change impacts on agriculture and water resources across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The study evaluates vulnerabilities of social actors, institutional capacities for water management, and future hydrological scenarios to inform national and regional climate adaptation policies.

This executive summary describes a comparative study of ecotones (transition zones between forested and non-forested sites) across one site in Canada and four in South America. The research examines how climate change, land use, and anthropogenic pressures influence the movement and definition of ecosystem boundaries.

This research paper examines how coffee producers in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Costa Rica respond to extreme weather events, pests, diseases, and price volatility since 1997. It identifies the drivers of vulnerability and evaluates the effectiveness of individual and group adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of global change.

This executive summary describes a research project investigating how soil microorganisms, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), respond to climate change and land-use changes across temperate and tropical ecosystems in the Americas to support agriculture and food security.

This research paper describes the development and validation of the Local Knowledge Scenarios (LKS) methodology, which integrates field work and Agent-Based Models to assess how rural producers in the Americas perceive global change and how this knowledge influences future land-use scenarios and decision-making.

This executive summary describes the development and validation of the Local Knowledge Scenarios (LKS) method, an interdisciplinary approach designed to evaluate how rural producers in the Americas perceive global environmental change and incorporate that knowledge into future land-use decision-making.

This project report describes the creation of a shared platform to understand socio-ecological resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of large-scale environmental change, specifically focusing on seasonally dry forests in South America.

This project report describes 'GovernAgua', an initiative (2019–2022) funded with USD 200,000 to improve water governance in South America. The project focuses on shifting from reactive responses to adaptive and anticipatory governance by strengthening capacities for co-creation of knowledge and adaptation across six river basins in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.