Our Team
Institutional Partners
The Omora Ethnobotanical Park (www.omora.org), located in the UNESCO Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (55º South l
atitude), was inaugurated in 2000 as an initiative to “integrate biocultural conservation and social wellbeing from the southern ends of the earth” (See figure below). Since that time, a consortium of academic institutions, including the University of North Texas (UNT), the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), the University of Magallanes (UMAG) and non-profit organizations, including the Omora Foundation, the Center for Environmental Philosophy (CEP) and the Omora Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance (OSARA), have worked to integrate ecological and social aspects of research, education and conservation into a long-term socio-ecological initiative that will make the Omora Park a formal long-term ecological research site (LTSER).
.In April 2009, UNT and UMAG formally signed an agreement to create the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, with a program office located on both UNT and UMAG campuses.
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Distinguished by a focus upon environmental philosophy, and the home of the journal Environmental Ethics, UNT Philosophy and Religion Studies (http://www.phil.unt.edu) emphasizes an applied or 'field' approach to philosophic problems, including: contemporary issues concerning the relation between nature and society, the construction of identity, and the dynamic nature of technology
The Aquatic Ecology (http://aquaticecology.unt.edu/) lab in the Department of Biological Science is associated with the Institute of Applied Sciences and is under the direction of Dr. James H. Kennedy. Research includes both basic and applied ecology, aquatic insect biology, biodiversity studies, the use of macro-invertebrates in the ecological risk assessment process and environmental education.
Universidad de Magallanes
The Universidad de Magallanes (www.umag.cl) is located along the straight of Magallanes, across from Tierra de Fuego. UMAG is a public university of Chile and has campuses in a variety of key locations. The main campus in Punta Arenas has an enrolment of approximately 3,800 students, 90% of which are from the local Sub-Antarctic Magallanes region, demonstrating how important the University is to southern Chile’s educational vitality. The University has two other campuses located in the towns of Puerto Natales and Puerto Williams, each of which has a unique focus and purpose. UMAG offers a multitude of opportunities for students, faculty, and the general public to explore and learn about the Patagonian/Sub-Antarctic region, culture, and history. In addition, the Instituto de la Patagonia and the American Corners Program, act as a link between national and international visitors.
The programs of study are housed within four schools: Engineering, Natural Science, Humanities, Social Science, Health, and Economic and Legal Sciences. The prestigious nursing program is well known throughout Chile and students in this department are generally hired before they even graduate. Professor Andrés Mansilla helped establish the science program, financing and infrastructure. This program is important because it studies the Sub-Antarctic Magallanes region, which is the first of its kind. The school of Engineering recently began offering a Doctorate in Renewable Energy in conjunction with the Technical University of Madrid. The department’s Ozone Laboratory continuously monitors ozone depletion and its impact on natural phenomena such as ocean and forest production. This information is imperative for public education as it enlightens the community and enables them to protect themselves from harmful U.V. rays. The Economic and Legal Sciences department prepares students for meaningful and critical careers in public services.
One special feature of UMAG is its interdisciplinary and collaborative conservation project with the University of North Texas (www.unt.edu) and the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (www.ieb-chile.cl). This project fosters a dialogue between scientists, social scientists, philosophers and policy-makers on conservation in the Sub-Antarctic Magallanes region of southern Chile. The integrative approach is intended to incorporate both ecological and societal-cultural values into the protection of the unique ecosystems of the region while simultaneously providing an avenue for formal and informal education. One of the ongoing goals of the program is the continued support of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park (www.cabodehornos.org) of Navarino Island, the UNESCO Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve and the development and implementation of protective measures used in conservation.
Contributors:
Charlotte Tidrick, MA Philosophy, UNT, Monica Lindemann, Ph.D Candidate, Philosophy, UNT, Catalina Hungerford, Sophomore, Anthropology, UNT.
Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity Studies, Chile
The mission of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) is to conduct basic and applied research relevant to the environment, train graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and engage in outreach. IEB believes that basic science, ecological theory and the interface between the biological and social sciences are fundamental for advancing in the management of the environment. http://www.ieb-chile.cl/
Omora Foundation
The Omora Foundation is a Chilean non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to biocultural conservation in the extreme southern tip of South America. The Foundation receives its name from the Yahgan word for “hummingbird.” However, in the Yahgan cosmology Omora was more than a bird; he was also a revered hero. In the old time, when humans and other animals lived in the same society, little Omora would settle disputes of the community, maintaining a dialogue between human society and nature. The holistic meaning of Omora bridges the divide between humans and other living beings; between society and the natural environment. The Omora Foundation attempts to embody this last, broader definition in its mission to “integrate biocultural conservation with social well being at the ends of the Earth.”
In collaboration with the University of Magallanes, Chile, a Multi-ethnic Bird Guide of the Austral Temperate Forests of South America was published in 2001. With the help of the Yahgan Grandmothers Úrsula and Christina Calderón, and the story teller, Lorenzo Aillapan, this book is a collection of bird songs, names and stories recorded to express the voices of the multiple species and indigigenous, rural and urban cultures, whose lives are interwoven in the tempeate forest region of South America.
To listen to the story of Omora, please click on the .mp3 on this page.
The Omora Ethnobotanical Park is a collaborative initiative between the Omora NGO and the University of Magallanes. The Park is located 3 kilometres west of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Isla Navarino. Within the park interpretative paths explore most of the major habitat types of the region: coastal coigue forests, lenga parks, ñirre forests, Sphagnum bogs, beaver wetlands and alpine heath. In addition, the Robálo River runs through the park and provides potable water to the town of Puerto Williams. The Omora Park aspires to be an outdoor classroom for students and teachers, a natural laboratory to study the effects of global climate change and a public space to try many forms of living together based on solidarity and respect between human beings and other biological species.
Center for Environmental Philosophy, Texas
TheCenter for Environmental Philosophywas created by the board of directors of Environmental Philosophy, Inc., a nonprofit corporation of the State of New Mexico. It is the product of a number of activities begun with the creation of the journal Environmental Ethics. The journal was founded in 1978 by Eugene C. Hargrove at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The first issue was published in January 1979. In September 1980 a nonprofit organization, Environmental Philosophy, Inc., was created to be the owner of the journal. It is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization created for educational, scientific, and literary purposes.
CEP supports a South America Environmental Philosophy Occasional Papers Series with the international Society for Environmetnal Ethics with South American philosophy presented bilingually in spanish and english: http://www.cep.unt.edu/iseepapers/ .