Institute for Sustainability Science

LACC's newest addition, the Institute for Sustainability Science in Latin America and the Caribbean (ISSLAC), studies the patterns of interactions between nature and society in this region of the world. It combines new methodological approaches and problem-driven, interdisciplinary research to gain a more complete understanding of these interactions.

The need for this kind of applied research is especially urgent in developing countries, which are most vulnerable to the stresses produced by rapid social and environmental change. The institute has as its goal the implementation of integrative, place-based research that combines the physical, natural and social sciences in the pursuit of rigorous scientific research that also contributes to solutions to local, regional and global environmental problems.
ISSLAC's research brings together faculty from the Latin American and Caribbean Center and FIU's Department of Environmental Studies, as well as experts from many other disciplines. Some of the core issues they address include exploring the ways community-water interactions in the Andean Amazon and community-forest interactions in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico may contribute to sustainable landscapes. In these and other cases to be developed, the institute works to identify the factors that determine the vulnerability or resilience of these interactions in particular settings.

Just as important as the identification of these problem areas is the development of new models for Latin America and the Caribbean, including incentives to promote sustainable development and the creation of integrated systems for adaptive management and social education programs.

In support of these goals, ISSLAC engages in faculty exchange programs and joint projects with institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to producing original research, ISSLAC also co-sponsors LACC events and publications relating to issues of sustainable development.

For more information about the Institute for Sustainability Science in Latin America and the Caribbean, call 305-348-6236.