How to ensure good practices when doing fieldwork in the tropics

Many ecologists based in the Global North are working in the tropics. Yet, ethical implications arise from the interaction between Global North and South which often consists of imbalanced practices, such as parachute science or pre-established leadership in collaborations and publications. There is a pressing need to overcome this issue by identifying those practices and discussing ways to avoid them and promote inclusive research. To move forward on this discussion, we invited three panellists. Two members from the Tropical Biology Association (TBA) – Rosie Trevelyan and Mariana Carvalho – will share with us their work in the tropics, including their strategies for inclusiveness. The TBA has been training the conservation leaders of tomorrow since 1995, mostly in Africa, empowering students to make a positive, physical impact on the natural environment. We will then count on Mohamed Henriques view, a Bissau-Guinean who has been working on bird ecology in conservation in his country. Mohamed has been interacting with researchers and stakeholders from both the Global North and South and will provide us with key insights based on his experience. With this panel, we hope to (1) bring awareness that imbalanced practices are still present in the ecology carried out in the tropics by the global north and (2) to discuss strategies to avoid/change practices that can be harmful to the fair and balanced data and knowledge flow and sharing.