Transnational research for coastal wetlands conservation in a Cuba–US setting

Abstract

Non-technical summary Sharing information between different countries is key for developing sustainable solutions to environmental change. Coastal wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico are suffering significant environmental and human-related threats. Working across national boundaries, this research project brings together scientists, specialists and local communities from Cuba and the USA. While important advances have been made in strengthening collaborations, important obstacles remain in terms of international policy constraints, different institutional and academic cultures and technology. Overcoming these limitations is essential to formulating a comprehensive understanding of the challenges that coastal socioecological systems are facing now and into the future.

RETRACTED: Landscape multifunctionality, agroecology and smallholders: A socio-ecological case study of the Cuban agroecological transition

“…While the Special Period impacted the sugarcane industry throughout Cuba starting in the early 1990s, the regional impacts in Yaguajay were not felt until almost a decade later. Sugarcane production in the municipality remained at its height with a number of local wetlands remaining drained and previously-forested areas kept clear to support industrial-scale, monoculture production (see also Ramenzoni et al 2020) until the early 2000s. After the closure of several regional sugar mills the local sugarcane industry in Yaguajay nally ended.…”

Vulnerability of Fishery-Based Livelihoods to Extreme Events: Local Perceptions of Damages from Hurricane Irma and Tropical Storm Alberto in Yaguajay, Central Cuba

“…Data collection took place over multiple trips in 2016, 2017, and 2018 as part of a larger project that addresses the impacts of climate change in rural and coastal communities ( Table 2). The study includes a team of researchers from Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Rutgers University, the Center for Marine Research and the Montan e Anthropological Museum at Universidad de La Habana, and personnel from Caguanes National Park (Ramenzoni et al 2020). A first exploratory trip was carried out in November 2016 during which researchers visited Playa Vitoria and were able to informally converse with local residents, fishers, and park managers.…”

“…Rising sea levels and storm surge are also critically impacting coastal communities through the salinization of soils. Finally, thermal stress due to warmer days and waters are affecting species composition and biomass (see Ramenzoni et al 2020).…”

Contributions of place-based social-ecological research to address global sustainability challenges

“…Yet, this is precisely the ‘Achilles heel’ of knowledge co-production, since structural power inequalities derived from social-cultural biases can reinforce inequity and injustice (Turnhout et al , 2020). The challenge of knowledge co-production across different cultural settings is the focus of Ramenzoni et al (2020). By describing the transnational collaborations between researchers from Cuba and the USA to conserve coastal wetlands in the Caguanes National Park (Cuba), Ramenzoni et al (2020) reflect on the language and cultural barriers that challenge knowledge co-production processes and how these can affect sustainability.…”

“…The challenge of knowledge co-production across different cultural settings is the focus of Ramenzoni et al (2020). By describing the transnational collaborations between researchers from Cuba and the USA to conserve coastal wetlands in the Caguanes National Park (Cuba), Ramenzoni et al (2020) reflect on the language and cultural barriers that challenge knowledge co-production processes and how these can affect sustainability. These authors conclude that, in order to move towards sustainability, scientists should foster cooperation mechanisms that are truly inclusive and engage with dissent and contestation, while being aware of cultural inequalities.…”