PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE IBERO AMERICAN NETWORK OF ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS

The creation of an Ibero American Network for Ecological Economics will set a framework for close academic collaboration between working groups in Ibero America dealing with environmental issues, in general, and with ecological economics and political ecology topics, in particularly. Its objectives may be:

1. To make methodologies and tools developed in the ecological economics literature well known in Latin America.
2. To make the main environmental problems the region faces, as well as the research experiences developed already by Ibero American research groups well known in order to look for local solutions.
3. To create a permanent network of regional and international communication about ecological economics, with a multidisciplinary and pluralistic approach.
4. To promote a discussion on methodological and conceptual frameworks for the analysis and assessment of the environmental and developmental problems the region is facing.
5. To promote co-operation and multidisciplinary research in hot environmental issues for the region, like sustainability indicators, trade-environment relationship, green technologies, energy management, natural areas management, ecotourism, agro-ecology, agro-economy, indigenous rights and the environment, environmental conflicts, philosophy of sustainable development, environmental law, etc.
6. To organise periodic academic conferences and publications in Spanish and Portuguese, dealing with the above-mentioned issues, from multiple perspectives and disciplines.