The Water Center at Tec de Monterrey has launched the NATURA-Lab initiative, aimed at fostering research projects and interdisciplinary collaboration on issues related to water and nature.
“This is an initiative we are building, where we aim to bring together everyone with shared interests in these two areas. There are people both inside and outside the Tec who are working on these topics, but their efforts tend to be isolated or scattered, which is why we need to create more synergy,” says Aldo Ramírez, director of the center, in an interview with TecScience.
One example of this initiative in action is the collaboration with the Metropolitan Environmental Fund of Monterrey on the development of the Nuevo León Water Plan 2050. While the plan focuses on urban water use, it also considers higher watershed areas, forest zones, and protected natural areas.
The initiative was unveiled during the interdisciplinary seminar Futures Driven by Nature, which was held as part of the 16th anniversary celebrations of the Water Center at the School of Engineering and Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Connection, Innovation, and Research on Water and Nature
Ericka Toledo, the initiative’s leader, explains that NATURA-Lab has two key components: it applies a laboratory and innovation methodology designed to integrate social processes into the natural dynamics it seeks to address. Additionally, the initiative leverages the Water Center’s labs with potential environmental applications.
“One of the goals is to make researchers aware that this type of environmental research is possible. One of the final agreements from COP 16 was to work on the symbiosis between biodiversity and climate change; the international call is to refocus on nature, and the link between climate and nature is water,” says Toledo.
She shares that among the projects currently being developed under this initiative is a collaboration with the German Cooperation Agency GIZ on water forests.
The center’s director adds that NATURA-Lab’s core objectives include fostering collaboration and promoting interdisciplinarity, as water-related issues are complex and require multiple approaches to tackle effectively. The aim is to build a community where people can collaborate more easily, turning what are now isolated efforts into actions that can have a more significant impact.
Currently, the initiative brings together faculty researchers from all departments at Tec de Monterrey who are interested in water and nature-related topics. The next phase aims to build a broader collaboration network with external entities, such as governments, other universities, and research centers, to amplify its impact.
As part of this initiative, calls for proposals will be launched to encourage research and innovation in water and nature. One example is a project funded by the FEMSA Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank, and Tecnológico de Monterrey.
“We need to become allies of nature to face the challenges brought by climate change. We want what we do to be reflected not only in studies but to move into the implementation phase, with real projects and public policies,” says Ramírez.
Water Center Celebrates 16th Anniversary with Interdisciplinary Seminar
The announcement of the NATURA-Lab initiative was part of the event celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Water Center, which brought together academics, researchers, and administrators from Tecnológico de Monterrey, as well as organizations and other partners who presented projects related to the environment and water as a natural resource.
An interdisciplinary seminar was held, where experts reflected on the importance of water and nature as pillars of sustainability and environmental ethics. The colloquium featured discussions on the relationship between water, nature, well-being, and health, as well as on topics like technology and innovation, urban planning, and regeneration.
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