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Climate & environmental justice
Adaptation, loss & damage, and the politics of climate action.
Explore →Researching the political ecologies of conservation and development
Research for just climate & environmental futures.
The FRONTERAS Collective at Colorado State University investigates social-ecological change, adaptation, and stewardship across threatened forest frontiers in the Américas.
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Collaborative research projects in the Amazon (Ecuador & Brazil), the Gran Chaco (Paraguay), Colombia (Pacific Coast), & India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).
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Research & training that views diversity as a strength — centering historically marginalized perspectives & justice in approaches to complex social-ecological challenges.
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Award-winning program with recognition from international associations, national scientific organizations, and at the university & college levels.
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Supported by the National Science Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, Fulbright, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Tinker Foundation, among others.
Research focus
A collective for critical transdisciplinary research on the political ecologies of conservation and development in a rapidly changing world.
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Indigenous rights to land & territory
Dispossession, resistance & resurgence — beyond the limits of state recognition.
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Political ecologies of development
Natures, extractivism, power, & access in development initiatives.
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Biocultural conservation
Stewardship, reciprocity & self-determination to protect people and the planet.
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Approach
Working from, not about.
How we work matters as much as what we study. Our methods foreground relationship, place, and accountability to partners.
Transdisciplinarity. Translation. Transformation.
We work toward futures defined not by extraction and dispossession but by territorial care, reciprocity, and self-determination.
— FRONTERAS, Research statement
FRONTERAS draws on political ecology, development studies, conservation social science, Indigenous geographies, among other critical approaches. Our methods are transdisciplinary, rooted in a commitment to science that supports community needs and the public good through critical use of diverse analytical tools. We emphasize long-term partnerships and strive to ensure our work is relevant to broad audiences.
About our approach →
From the field
Radio So’o: Updates about our work.
Presentación en el Simposio de Sociología 2026, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay
Joel Correia joined Marcos Glauser, Federico Vargas Lehner, and Salustiana Caballero for the opening session of Sociología en el umbral de una nueva era, on the social-ecological and territorial effects of the Ruta Bioceánica.
Tenure!
Joel Correia's promotion to associate professor was conferred by Colorado State University on July 1, 2026.
FRONTERAS Collective members present at POLLEN 2026
Paula Cepeda Mahecha, Silvia de Melo Futada, Laura Botero Arellano, Michael Esbach, and Joel Correia traveled to Barcelona to share their work at the Political Ecology Network conference.
Let’s connect!
Collaborative research and co-learning are vital for developing strategies to investigate complex social-ecological challenges while supporting pathways to more just futures. If that is the work you want to do, here is how to start a conversation.
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Prospective graduate students
Send a brief description of your research interests and how they align with our work and the CSU Human Dimensions of Natural Resources graduate programs, along with your current CV or resume.
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Research collaborators
We are excited to work across diverse ways of knowing, from the social and ecological sciences to creative, artistic, and experimental approaches. If you are interested in finding ways to advance transformative research for the good of people and the planet, please reach out.
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Community and territorial partners
Our research is co-produced with partners in the places where we work. If your organization is considering a research partnership, let's talk about what possible collaborations could look like.
Start a conversation →
