ABOUT THE CIEMEP

The Esquel Mountain and Patagonian Steppe Research Center (CIEMEP) is a research institute jointly administered by the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB). It is part of the group of Executing Units under the CONICET Scientific and Technological Center – Northern Patagonia. CIEMEP was established in the city of Esquel, Chubut, on December 23, 2013 (Resolution No. 5059/13). The center is currently composed of researchers (from CONICET and UNPSJB), doctoral and postdoctoral fellows, technical support staff, and administrative personnel.

Advance scientific and technological knowledge in fields related to Biological Sciences. Generate information to improve the management and use of natural resources, including environmental impact assessments, tourism guides, monitoring of productive processes, and management of protected areas. Train highly qualified professionals through Doctoral and Postdoctoral fellowships and graduate-level courses. Promote the transfer of knowledge and technological developments to the public and private sectors through High-Level Technological Services (STAN), scientific projects that interact with the social and productive sectors, and science outreach activities. Conduct science communication and community outreach programs to foster public engagement with science.

CIEMEP is a multidisciplinary research center. Its research lines include taxonomy, paleontology, and ecology of invertebrates and vertebrates, basic and applied limnology, geology, glaciology, Patagonian ethnobiology, fire and grassland ecology, and environmental and resource management. This multidisciplinary nature enables the center to address a wide range of regional issues. CIEMEP conducts research that is relevant at regional, national, and international levels, and actively participates in various science communication events to promote scientific culture and interest in science among students and the general public.

CIEMEP operates in facilities located across different parts of Esquel, which include: An administrative office, a water chemistry laboratory, an environmental DNA (eDNA) laboratory, facilities for the preparation and conditioning of paleontological and biological samples, an optics room, field-use support infrastructure, and recognized collections officially egistered with the Province of Chubut.