Latin American Society for Environmental History

Latin American Society for Environmental History
Name	Latin American Society for Environmental History
Native name	Sociedad Latinoamericana de Historia Ambiental
Formation	1990s
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Buenos Aires
Region served	Latin America
Language	Spanish, Portuguese, English
Leader title	President

Latin American Society for Environmental History is a transnational scholarly association dedicated to the study of environmental change, human-environment interactions, and historical ecology in Latin America. The society connects researchers, archivists, museum curators, and policy advisors across Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and other countries to promote comparative, interdisciplinary scholarship. It collaborates with universities, research institutes, and international organizations to disseminate findings through conferences, journals, and regional networks.

History and Founding

The society emerged from intellectual exchanges among scholars associated with Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of São Paulo, University of Buenos Aires, and Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) during the late 1980s and early 1990s, influenced by debates at forums such as the International Congress of Historical Sciences, the American Historical Association, and the European Society for Environmental History. Founding figures included historians and geographers linked to projects at Smithsonian Institution, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Brazil), who sought institutional support comparable to the Rachel Carson Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for archival preservation and field research. Early symposia convened alongside meetings of the Latin American Studies Association, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Pan American Health Organization.

Mission and Objectives

The society's mission aligns with objectives promoted by institutions such as United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and Inter-American Development Bank: to advance historical knowledge relevant to environmental policy, conservation, and sustainable development. It aims to foster dialogue among scholars from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, University of Chile, National University of San Marcos, and regional archives like the Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina) and the Archivo General de la Nación (México). Key objectives include supporting archival digitization projects, training linked to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and contributing evidence to processes under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Agreement.

Organization and Governance

Governance mirrors structures used by the American Society for Environmental History and the European Society for Environmental History, with an executive board drawn from scholars affiliated with University of Costa Rica, University of Havana, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and Universidad de Guadalajara. Advisory committees include representatives from museums like the Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City), research centers such as Center for Latin American Studies (Harvard University), and funding bodies including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Global Environmental Facility. Election cycles, bylaws, and ethics policies reference precedents established by International Council on Archives and the Society for American Archaeology.

Conferences and Events

The society organizes biennial congresses hosted in rotation by universities such as Universidad de Chile, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of São Paulo, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). These meetings often coincide with workshops sponsored by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, panels at the Latin American Studies Association annual meeting, and joint sessions with the World Conservation Congress. Past conference themes have engaged topics central to the Amazon Basin, Andes Mountains, Atacama Desert, and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, featuring keynote speakers connected to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Royal Geographical Society, and the International Geographical Union.

Publications and Research Initiatives

The society supports editorial projects including a peer‑reviewed journal modeled after publications such as Environmental History (journal), book series in partnership with presses like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Editorial Universidad de Chile, and collaborative volumes with research institutes such as Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani, and Centre for Development Studies (Norway). Research initiatives have ranged from long‑term dendrochronology and palynology projects in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History to archival projects linking the Archivo General de Indias and colonial records at the Archivo General de la Nación (Peru).

Regional and Thematic Networks

The society coordinates regional networks focused on areas such as the Amazon Basin, Gran Chaco, Patagonia, and Mesoamerica, partnering with NGOs and research centers including Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible, CONICET, and the Inter‑American Institute for Global Change Research. Thematic networks address mining histories tied to Potosí silver mine, plantation economies linked to Hacienda system, urban environmental history in cities like Mexico City and Buenos Aires, and Indigenous land use histories involving groups such as the Mapuche, Quechua, Aymara, and Maya.

Impact and Notable Contributions

The society has influenced policy debates involving the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, regional climate adaptation initiatives under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and conservation planning for protected areas like Yasuní National Park and Iguaçu National Park. Notable scholarly contributions include comparative studies on colonial resource extraction related to the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire, interdisciplinary reconstructions drawing on work by researchers affiliated with Harvard University, University of Cambridge, University of California, Berkeley, and regional centers. Its members have received recognition from awards such as the MacArthur Fellowship, the Prince of Asturias Awards, and election to academies including the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for research that has reshaped understanding of environmental change across Latin America.

Category:Environmental history organizations Category:Latin American learned societies