Workshop 

Towards a decolonized and impactful tropical biology research: initiating a methodological debate and discussion

Organizer(s):

Recent scientific studies in the tropics and elsewhere have discussed the role of colonization as a factor in the progress of tropical biology and science. The workshop is projected to initiate discussion and collect thoughts and debate topics on some of the following points:

1. What are the factors that still display the effect of colonization in your everyday science?

2. What strategies can be used to have healthy, inclusive and fair environments for international researchers and/or students while navigating science in the global North or the global South?

As part of the first question, a pre-determined set of factors will be presented to the participants to initiate active discussion, such as - the role of economics, age, gender, and the country's political history. We will also invite a few leaders within tropical biology and conservation who can openly share and discuss their experiences and thoughts on the above questions.

The goal of this workshop is to create a safe space for participants to discuss their experiences and help us understand what societies and individuals in the tropics can do to help and create better opportunities for equity, inclusiveness, and local diversity.

The workshop will also discuss inherent differences among people, cultures and geographies so that we can be mindful of them and learn to step away from any power imbalances in research and collaboration. For this we will also discuss the following:

1. Articulate our values (as an individual) within tropical biologists and explore how they

compare with our peers.

2. Articulate what diversity means to us as individuals and its characteristics and explore how they compare with our peers.

3. Understand how the intersections of diversity change as we move from one environment to

other, and how that plays a role in our understanding of safety.