An ad hoc steering committee from the U.S. and Mexico will plan and conduct a 2-day, open bi-national workshop aimed at advancing sustainability science in the shared drylands region. The workshop will highlight existing sustainability research in the region, identify opportunities to address gaps in research through use-inspired research initiatives, and explore the following questions:
• What are the key sustainability challenges and vulnerabilities facing stakeholders in the Mexico-U.S. drylands region (defined as the border region as well as adjoining drylands with shared ecological characteristics, natural-resource based activities (e.g., mining, irrigated agriculture) and socio-economic characteristics)?
• What are the bi-national and regional research and sustainability approaches that are already in place to address these challenges?
• What are the potential binational priorities for research that could advance use-inspired research to promote sustainable development in this region, such as adaptive water management, health ecosystems, strengthening local and regional economics, including community and population resilience, and reducing impacts on vulnerable populations?
A proceedings of the presentations and discussions from the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur and published following the National Academies' policies and procedures for such publications, including the standard review procedures. The proceedings will be a joint document published in English by the National Academies Press and in Spanish by the Mexican Academy of Sciences and will be used to help stimulate interest in additional bi-national collaborations.