Between 2020 and 2021, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Heriot-Watt University and Planeta Oceano partnered to develop the project “Mainstreaming biodiversity into local coastal development: Key findings for the Paracas Bay Area, Peru”. The Paracas Bay Area (PBA) is an area of ecological and cultural importance for Peru with an expanding urban setting with several economic […]
Category: South America
Projects in South America
Modelling sustainable land uses at the landscape-scale in the Colombian Amazon region
Colombia is in the process of the implementation of the Peace Agreement signed in 2016. Lack of governmental presence, unsustainable land use patterns, and land grabbing have caused a 40% increase in deforestation. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of research experts led by Heriot Watt University and the Amazonian Scientific Research Institute – SINCHI in Colombia. The project team has […]
Partnerships for smart cities
Professor Harry Smith was invited to the Seventh World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia in 2014. There he established contacts with Universidad Nacional de Colombia that later gave rise to three important projects: Mitigation of landslide risks in informal settlements in Medellin Landslide risk management strategies through the development of community-based infrastructure in Latin American […]
Covid-19 meets indigenous knowledge
The Covid-19 pandemic created special challenges for indigenous communities around the world. Their beliefs affect their experience of the disease and how they respond to external advice. Dr Agnessa Spanellis worked with Colombian researchers to bridge indigenous beliefs with official guidance. The Department of Choco on the Pacific Coast of Colombia is one of the poorest […]
Resilience or Resistance? Negotiated mitigation of landslide risks
Communities in informal settlements around Medellin or São Paulo live at constant risk of losing their homes to landslide. Built on steep slopes, with limited infrastructure, a severe rainstorm can cause devastation to these communities. The research team worked to empower local communities to assess their own risks and take mitigating action to make their […]