We began this book with a simple goal- to assemble a collection of readings for an undergraduate interdisciplinary course taught by one of us (AR) at Macalester College. This course explored environmental problems and solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean using both natural science and social science methods. After a literature search failed to produce an anthology of interdisciplinary readings appropriate for the course, we set out to compile one. We sought papers that dealt with the most salient environmental problems in the region, that were written by experts, and that were appropriate for undergraduate students. Most importantly, we sought papers that clearly demonstrate the contributions that experts from one discipline can make to analysis in another discipline. We sought papers that, for example, show how biological species assessments can be used to inform the politics of biodiversity conservation. We sought papers that show how economic analysis can be used to predict the likely effects of human behavior on ecosystems. We sought papers that pay close attention to how institutions, both national and international, affect the outcome of environmental initiatives. To find essays that fit our needs, we sent out a world-wide call for papers, chose the most promising submissions, and subjected these submissions to peer review. The twelve approved essays represent the work of researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. All the authors have direct experience with Latin America and the Caribbean and the region's problems.
This book is a non-technical interdisciplinary collection of 12 essays, each of which uses natural or social science methods. The essays analyze a representative set of environmental issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. They consider problems at international, regional, national, and local levels and examine current and historical environmental policy. The essays are organized according to theme and approach into five parts:
-conservation challenges;
-national policies, local communities, and rural development;
-market mechanisms for protecting public goods;
-public participation and environmental justice;
-the effects of development policies on the environment.
Contributors are researchers from Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.
Audience
This book serves as a reader for undergraduates or master's students in interdisciplinary courses, a rich source of case studies for courses within one discipline, and an example of cutting-edge analyses for the educated reader interested in environmental issues in general or specific to the region.
