Latin America plays an important international role with regard to environmental governance. Knowledge generated by empirical and theoretical studies on environmental challenges can support the renewed efforts in the region to achieve equitable and sustainable natural resource use. Although linkages between social and environmental dimensions have been academically explored in the last decades, new trends in environmental governance in Latin America deserve a comprehensive analytical approach. This article presents emerging research topics and provides a brief overview of relevant elements and 'crossovers' for an integrative analysis. The authors argue that in order to enhance 'Latin American perspectives' to solving socio-environmental dilemmas, several research streams need to be brought together in integrative frameworks that can address complex questions related to interactions between state, civil society and market actors on multiple scales. A consortium of ten Latin American and European institutions aims to contribute to the development of such frameworks through the project Environmental Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean: Developing Frameworks for Sustainable and Equitable Natural Resource Use (ENGOV).
environmental governance; environmental politics; environmental justice; nature; sustainability