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| Latin American Association of Biology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Latin American Association of Biology |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Headquarters | Bogotá, São Paulo, Mexico City |
| Region served | Latin America and Caribbean |
| Membership | Researchers, educators, institutions |
| Leader title | President |
Latin American Association of Biology is a regional professional organization connecting biologists, research institutions, and conservation agencies across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded to coordinate scientific exchange among national societies, universities, and research institutes, it links practitioners from field ecology to molecular biology and public health. The association fosters collaboration among stakeholders such as universities, museums, botanical gardens, and environmental agencies to address biodiversity, health, and sustainable development challenges.
The association emerged during the postwar expansion of scientific networks when leaders from universities such as Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de Chile, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile sought regional coordination. Early meetings included delegates from institutions like Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Fundación Miguel Lillo, and CONICET representatives. Influences included transnational initiatives such as Pan American Health Organization, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, UNESCO, and collaborations with Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences (United States). Key historical milestones involved memoranda with national academies such as Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Córdoba and participation in continental programs like Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Convention on Biological Diversity sessions.
The association’s mission emphasizes strengthening research capacity among institutions including Universidad del Valle (Colombia), Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Central del Ecuador, and Universidad de la República (Uruguay), while promoting biodiversity conservation in ecoregions such as the Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, and Andean montane forests. Objectives include facilitating networks among museums like Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (Chile), botanical institutions like Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis, and conservation NGOs such as World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy. The association supports policy-relevant science informing negotiations at forums like Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and regional initiatives such as Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
Membership comprises individual researchers, institutional members from universities, research centers, museums, and governmental research bodies such as Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas (INEI), Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), and national academies like Academia de Ciencias de Cuba. Governance is typically vested in an elected executive council with officers representing subregions (Andean, Southern Cone, Mesoamerica, Caribbean) and liaison posts to organizations like IUCN, CITES, Food and Agriculture Organization, and World Health Organization. Statutes often mandate committees on ethics, research integrity, and diversity modeled after frameworks from International Union of Biological Sciences and professional codes adopted by societies such as Society for Conservation Biology and American Society for Microbiology.
Routine activities include coordinated research projects on themes such as infectious diseases (linked to Zika virus, Dengue fever, Chagas disease), conservation biology studies on taxa like Heliconius, Andean spectacled bear, and ecosystem assessments in the Pantanal, Páramo, and Chocó-Darién. Programs run joint field courses with institutions like Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), archival efforts with museums such as Museo de La Plata, databasing initiatives tied to GBIF and regional specimen digitization projects mirroring efforts by Biodiversity Heritage Library. The association administers fellowships and seed grants supporting early-career researchers from institutions analogous to Instituto de Biología, UNAM and Universidad Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
Annual and biennial congresses rotate among host cities including Bogotá, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Santiago. These meetings attract presenters affiliated with institutions such as Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad de Guadalajara, Universidad de São Paulo, and Universidad de la Habana, and feature symposia held in partnership with journals and presses like Science Advances, PLoS ONE, Nature Ecology & Evolution, and regional outlets such as Revista de Biología Tropical and Brazilian Journal of Biology. The association issues proceedings, position papers, and thematic special issues coordinated with publishers like Springer, Elsevier, and open-access platforms including SciELO.
Capacity-building initiatives include doctoral training consortia, workshops on molecular methods with laboratories like Instituto Butantan, and conservation training with NGOs such as BirdLife International and Wildlife Conservation Society. Education programs emphasize exchanges among universities like Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidad de San Andrés (Bolivia), and Universidad Central de Venezuela, and professional development tied to grants from funders including Global Environment Facility, Wellcome Trust, and National Science Foundation. Outreach often partners with museums, botanical gardens, and community organizations to integrate indigenous knowledge holders from groups such as the Kichwa, Guarani, and Wayuu into research and stewardship initiatives.
Strategic partnerships span multilateral agencies, NGOs, and private sectors, involving collaborations with UN Environment Programme, Inter-American Development Bank, BID, and regional conservation initiatives like Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. The association’s research outputs inform national biodiversity strategies, protected area designations such as Yasuní National Park and transboundary programs like Andean-Amazon Initiative, and disease surveillance networks coordinated with PAHO and national ministries of health. Impact metrics include capacity indicators, publications indexed in databases like Scopus and Web of Science, and contributions to assessments by bodies such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
The association confers awards recognizing lifetime achievement, early-career excellence, and community-engaged conservation, echoing honors comparable to Linnean Medal, Carlos J. Finlay Prize, and national prizes awarded by academies like Academia Mexicana de Ciencias. Recipients often include researchers affiliated with institutions such as Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad de São Paulo, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, and leading conservationists from NGOs like Conservation International and Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales.
Category:Scientific organizations based in Latin America