Paper short abstract:

A 20th century transnational group of scientists jointly examined analogous mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) in Chile and California. This MTE network engaged in science and conservation projects informed by both shared concerns and the disparate interests generated by grassroots organizations.

Paper long abstract:

During the Cold War era, biologists from Chile and California collaborated to comparatively study mediterranean ecosystems. These seemingly equivalent systems shared remarkable similarities of climate, of plant life; they also appeared to host scientific communities that shared similar ambitions and faced comparable conservation challenges. At first glance, this collaboration between Chilian and Californian scientists would appear to be directed by top-down mechanisms: it was coordinated under the umbrella of the International Biological Program (1964-1974) and funded by the U.S.-based National Science Foundation. But the subsequent development of the field of mediterranean ecology did not quite follow suit. The emerging mediterranean-type ecosystem (MTE) network was informal and steered by mutual interests, not institutional dictates. This paper explores how members of the network engaged in science and conservation projects by analyzing traditional archives and oral histories. How did the initiative and support for California- and Chile-based projects differ or continue to be alike? Although California-based ecologists regularly worked in close cooperation with government agencies, Chile-based work often at the behest of grassroots, rather than state-led, organizations.