Project Overview

Research Team

Opportunities for Graduate Students

Opportunities for Undergraduates

Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast

Collaborators

Educational Resources

NSF Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems Program

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Globalization and the Connection of Remote Communities: Environmental Implications

The forces of globalization increasingly are penetrating the remote communities of the world and are likely to affect profoundly the local use of natural resources. Remote communities, those that lie at the periphery of existing global market, migration, and technology networks, are increasingly connecting to these networks through infrastructure projects such as roads, rail, ports, and communication technologies. More info...

Research Updates

From May to August 2009, MSU and URACCAN-Bluefields researchers traveled to communities to conduct surveys and monitor local wildlife populations. We conducted over 500 household surveys in twelve communities, and used camera traps to monitor wildlife in four key forest preserves.

Whitee-faced Monkey Survey in Karawala Jaguar at Monkey Point
White-faced Capuchin investigates a camera trap. Conducting an interview during wash time in Karawala.. A jaguar passes a camera trap at night.

Research Location: Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast

The fabled Caribbean "Mosquito" Coast of Nicaragua represents one of the last roadless and isolated areas of Central America, a condition that has contributed to its wildness and has hampered its economic development. The isolation of the Caribbean Coast is diminishing as two new highways that connect the coast to the national highway system and to global markets are completed. More info...

Coupled Natural and Human Systems

Our understanding of the complexities of environmental, social, and economic problem increasingly points to synergistic linkages between the natural and human dimensions. This research project is a multi-year endeavor to assess the connections between human activities and natural systems on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation's Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems Program through grant #0815966.

Research supported by grant #0815966 from the
National Science Foundation

Center for Global Change and Earth Observation

Center for the Advanced Study of International Development

Michigan State University

Contact Dr. Gerald Urquhart for questions about this website.

This project has received support from the Center for Global Change and Earth Observation, the Center for the Advanced Study of International Development, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, James Madison College, Lyman Briggs College and International Studies and Programs at Michigan State University.

 

For information about specific research activities, email the appropriate member of the research team. General inquiries can be addressed to Dr. Daniel Kramer or Dr. Gerald Urquhart.

 

Recent Publications

Ecological Economics

Globalization and the connection of remote communities: A review of household effects and their biodiversity implications
Daniel Boyd Kramer, Gerald Urquhart, Kristen Schmitt
. Ecological Economics 68 (2009) 2897–2909

Nicaragua
About Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast

Principal Investigators

Michigan State University

Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (URACCAN)

  • Diala Lopez, M.Sc., Director, Institute for Natural Resources, Environment, and Sustainable Development(IREMADES)
  • Kirkman Roe, M.Sc., Project Coordinator, Institute for Natural Resources, Environment, and Sustainable