We began this book with a simple goal-- to assemble a collection of readings for an undergraduate interdisciplinary course taught by one of us (AR) at Macalester College. This course explored environmental problems and solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean using both natural science and social science methods. After a literature search failed to produce an anthology of interdisciplinary readings appropriate for the course, we set out to compile one. We sought papers that dealt with the most salient environmental problems in the region, that were written by experts, and that were appropriate for undergraduate students. Most importantly, we sought papers that clearly demonstrate the contributions that experts from one discipline can make to analysis in another discipline. We sought papers that, for example, show how biological species assessments can be used to inform the politics of biodiversity conservation. We sought papers that show how economic analysis can be used to predict the likely effects of human behavior on ecosystems. We sought papers that pay close attention to how institutions, both national and international, affect the outcome of environmental initiatives. To find essays that fit our needs, we sent out a world-wide call for papers, chose the most promising submissions, and subjected these submissions to peer review. The twelve approved essays represent the work of researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. All the authors have direct experience with Latin America and the Caribbean and the region's problems.
About the Author:

(a) Aldemaro Romero obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Barcelona, Spain, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Miami (1984). Currently he is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Arkansas State University. He has published more than 430 pieces of work including peer-reviewed articles, articles in non-peer-reviewed publications, books, book reviews, and abstracts. He has obtained numerous research grants, as well as teaching, research, and service awards from a variety of public and private agencies in the U.S. and abroad. His main interests include, but are not limited to, biology of cave organisms (particularly fish), environmental history of marine mammals in the Caribbean, and general evolutionary issues and he has used field, laboratory, and theoretical methodologies. He is particularly interested in interesting questions in science that require an interdisciplinary approach. Homepage: http: //www.clt.astate.edu/aromero/

(b) Sarah E. West received her bachelors degree from Macalester College and an MA in Latin American Studies, an MS in economics, and a PHD in economics from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on market-based incentives for the control of vehicle pollution. Her work has been published in the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and the Journal of Transport Economics and Policy. She teaches courses in environmental, urban, and public economics in the Department of Economics at Macalester College and is a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research Working Group in Environmental Economics. Homepage: http: //www.macalester.edu/ wests