On April 16th in Denton, Texas, the President of the University of North Texas Dr. Gretchen Bataille and the Rector of the Universidad de Magallanes Dr. Víctor Fajardo signed a formal agreement to consolidate the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, being led by both universities in conjunction with the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity. The agreement will formalize program offices in each university, as well as initiate the process to create a dual masters degree program in the integration of environmental philosophy and ecological sciences. In addition, this new stage of the binational relationship will help strengthen existing programs, such as the Tracing Darwin’s Path field course, the exchange of students and the application for external funding. For more information from the NT Daily, click here.

During the weeklong workshop surrounding the signing celebration, academics from UNT, UMAG and IEB also worked with scientists from the U. of California Los Angeles, the U. of Connecticut and the Ibero-american Biosphere Reserve Network to prepare a new $1.5 millon dollar proposal to fund international partnerships in research and education, focusing on the unique biodiversity of the subantarctic region, its ecological functions and the integration of research in decision-making through understanding perceptions and valuation of ecosystem services.