Congratulations to Alexandra Konieczny on Her Outstanding Master’s Thesis Defense
We are thrilled to share that Alexandra Konieczny successfully defended her Master’s thesis, developed within the framework of the IEK-CHANGES project. A student in the MSc programme in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Alexandra presented her thesis entitled “A Comprehensive Assessment of Palm (Arecaceae) Uses by […]
Visit to the Herbario Nacional de Bolivia
The IEK-CHANGES team visited the Herbario Nacional de Bolivia to meet with our research partners and begin planning the practical aspects of botanical specimen collection. This visit marked an important step in laying the foundations for our ongoing collaboration with the Herbarium. We are especially grateful to Professor Mónica Moraes for guiding us through the […]
IEK-CHANGES Team Arrives in Bolivia
The IEK-CHANGES team has landed in Bolivia! Over the coming days, they will be based in La Paz, where they will meet with our research partners at Bolivia’s National Herbarium, and finalize the logistics for the next phase of fieldwork. Once preparations are complete, they will head to the Bolivian Amazon to begin our on-the-ground […]
IEK-CHANGES Ethics Workshop with Prof. Jerome Lewis
From May 22–24, 2025, the IEK-CHANGES team was delighted to welcome Dr. Jerome Lewis (University College London, UK), the project’s appointed Ethics Advisor, for a dedicated workshop held at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). The visit provided an invaluable opportunity to review the project’s ethical approach, discuss progress to date, and ensure that all […]
Preparing for the unexpected: first aid and safety training
Before heading into the forests of the Bolivian Amazon, our team took part in an intensive first aid and field safety course led by the excellent professionals of the Institut d’Estudis Mèdics (IEM) in Barcelona. Fieldwork in remote environments requires not only strong research skills, but also the ability to respond calmly and effectively when […]
Research permit granted by the Bolivian Ministry of the Environment and Water
We are thrilled to share that the Dirección General de Biodiversidad y Áreas Protegidas of the Ministry of the Environment and Water of the Plurinational State of Bolivia has officially authorized the IEK-CHANGES project to conduct research in the country. This permit allows us to carry out ethnobiological research and to collect plant specimens in […]
Approaching gender relations in our research with the Tsimane’
One of the most powerful moments of our kick-off workshop was a session devoted to “Approaching gender relations in our research with the Tsimane’.” Understanding how knowledge, responsibilities, and opportunities are shaped by gender is essential for conducting research that is both rigorous and respectful. In this session, we reflected together on how to meaningfully […]
IEK-CHANGES kick-off workshop in Barcelona
In April 2025, we officially launched the IEK-CHANGES project with a two-day workshop, including some of the key partners and collaborators of the project. The workshop “Understanding biocultural changes in the ancestral homelands of the Tsimane’ people, Beni Department, Bolivia” provided a forum to share different perspectives and insights on the biocultural changes taking place […]
Welcoming Professor Mónica Moraes to ICTA-UAB
We were delighted to host Professor Mónica Moraes R., from Bolivia’s National Herbarium and the Instituto de Ecología at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, during her recent visit to ICTA-UAB. She delivered an inspiring talk titled “Conducting ethnobotanical research in Bolivia: practical experiences in the field and lessons learned”, sharing insights grounded in a […]
PI of the IEK-CHANGES project visits Bolivia to strengthen partnerships
Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares, Principal Investigator of the IEK-CHANGES project, recently traveled to Bolivia to engage in a series of key conversations with our institutional partners and collaborators. During his visit, he met with representatives from the Centro Boliviano de Investigación y Desarrollo Socio Integral (CBIDSI), the Instituto de Ecología a the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés […]
