Science and local knowledge come together to understand the use of fire in the Trifinio Region

• Participation of a CATIE student in the First Trinational Ecology Meeting strengthens scientific cooperation and environmental governance in Mesoamerica.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) student Agostina Ferro recently participated in the First Trinational Ecology Meeting, an event that brought together specialists from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, as well as representatives from various Latin American countries, with the purpose of promoting scientific exchange and cooperation around ecology, conservation, and socio-environmental sustainability.

During the event, held from October 5 to 10 in Mendoza, Argentina, Ferro presented the study “Science and local knowledge on fire dynamics and use in the Trifinio Region”, within the thematic session Socioecology and Ethoecology. Her presentation highlighted how local practices, governance, and fire regimes are interrelated in the landscape shared by Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities for sustainable fire management.

The study is part of an initiative of the Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica Project, funded by the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF); implemented by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and CATIE, in collaboration with the Trinational Commission of the Trifinio Plan (CTPT) and local partners. It also received support from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) through a Seed Grant from the program Tropical Forests in the Americas: Transdisciplinary Approaches for Environmental Transformations, SG-TF-2024.

“The articulation between communities, institutions, and science is essential to advance toward effective fire governance adapted to local realities in the Trifinio Region,” emphasized Ferro, highlighting the importance of the transdisciplinary approach that integrates scientific knowledge and community wisdom.

The Trinational Ecology Meeting, organized by the Argentine Ecology Association (AsAE), included keynote lectures, symposia, roundtables, and presentations by researchers working in various fields of ecology and environmental sciences. The event is consolidating itself as a key space for dialogue and regional cooperation on environmental sustainability.