INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES – IDEA

Directress: Carmenza Castiblanco Rozo

The IDEA is an interfaculty institute from Universidad Nacional de Colombia that promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching and extension on environmental issues in its four seats, in the cities of Bogotá, Manizales, Medellín and Palmira. These seats depend on the Vice-Chancellor's Office of each city.

The IDEA works with a permanent staff and the support of several faculties of the University through part-time teachers, according to the Institute's needs.

The mission of the IDEA is contributing, with an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional approach, to the knowledge of the environment (defined as the interaction of ecosystem and cultural processes), the sustainable use of its potentialities and the solution of problems in the tropical zones. The objective is improving the population's quality of life through critical thought, the generation of educational processes, research and technological development.

The IDEA collaborates with society in order to promote different alternatives for sustainable development. Therefore, its extension activities include working with state entities to analyze, formulate and reconsider development policies, as well as legal and administrative procedures and management systems. The IDEA is also open to cooperate with private enterprises and non-governmental organizations with the purpose of finding new alternatives to reach sustainability.

he Institute also aims at promoting and developing the environmental policy of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, which covers research, teaching and extension actions in the environmental field, defined as the relationships between society and nature, including the conflictive (environmental deterioration) and positive aspects (use of environmental goods and services) within the context of the society's development and wellbeing.

 

 

To contribute to the knowledge of the environment (understood as the relationships between ecosystem and culture) and propose alternatives to the environmental problems and conflicts in the country, through research, teaching and extension activities that help building sustainable societies, within the interdisciplinary and inter-institutional work of the University.

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