Dr. Meg Perret, Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Languages and Cultures, is leading a multidisciplinary research initiative that explores the complex relationship between biodiversity conservation and border militarization in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Her project, “Conservation Biologists and Borderlands,” received a $155,000 Science & Technology Studies Grant from the National Science Foundation in Fall 2024.
Perret’s work examines how scientific narratives about nature are shaped by—and help shape—local social and political dynamics, particularly in regions marked by environmental and geopolitical tension. Using archival research and oral history interviews, Perret explores how conservation biology has evolved in response to border policies and how it has become entangled in broader debates about identity, community, and ecological stewardship.
In addition to its scholarly contributions, the project aims to foster collaboration among academic researchers, community organizations, environmental nonprofits, and human rights advocates on both sides of the border. By building inclusive partnerships and enhancing public engagement, Perret seeks to advance a more equitable and socially responsive model of biodiversity science—one that not only informs conservation policy but also reflects the lived realities of the communities it affects.