September 20, 2024
Dr. Florencia (Flor) Pech-Cárdenas recently joined the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center as a postdoctoral researcher. She will help lead a collaborative synthesis research project focused on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and climate adaptation based at the University of Minnesota.
Flor was born and raised in Yucatán, Mexico. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Autonomous University of Yucatán and her master’s degree in Biological Sciences-Natural Resources at the Scientific Research Center of Yucatan. As she was finishing her master’s studies, which focused on analysis of plant species distribution and conservation, she felt like something was missing. “I felt that I was missing the social human component of the human-nature relationship, and I wanted to focus more on that,” Flor said. She took an opportunity to get involved with a study abroad program run by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, which offered a glimpse into more culturally-focused research as students from Texas visited the Yucatán Peninsula to learn about local forest management and forest ecosystems from a Yucatec Maya perspective.
Another important door opened when Flor received a Fulbright scholarship to study in the United States, which included support for navigating the higher education system. She began her PhD program at the University of Minnesota and was able to build her own interdisciplinary curriculum that incorporated both the social, humanities components and ecological, biological components of natural resources science and management.
While her earlier research didn’t focus explicitly on climate change, it was always there as part of the larger context impacting the natural resources she was studying. Climate change has also affected her personal life. Hurricanes have increased in frequency in the tropics, and one recently impacted family members in her hometown and the Maya community she was working with in her research. Flor looks forward to focusing more on climate adaptation in her research with the MW CASC.
She is also excited to be part of a project that will center Indigenous voices and embrace the importance of Indigenous management strategies and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. “Putting that at the center of our project – I feel that that would be a huge accomplishment,” she said. “Not pursuing our own goals and getting approval from partners as an afterthought.” This type of research requires a high level of engagement, time, and relationship-building based on honesty and transparency.
“I look forward to building relationships with Tribal partners here in the Midwest. My PhD research focused on the Yucatán Peninsula because of my background and my existing relationships. Of course, I will maintain and grow those relationships, but this is a big opportunity to start deeper relationships with Tribal communities here. That’s something that’s very exciting for me, having that connection and potential for transnational Indigenous studies.”
Outside of work, Flor enjoys gardening, going for walks around the University of Minnesota’s Saint Paul campus, cooking, dancing, and spending time with her husband and son. She also loves visiting her family in Yucatán.