My research explores human-environment interactions through transdisciplinary approaches encompassing environmental governance, political ecology, institutional analysis, and participatory research. Much of my work focuses on mountain peoples and the Latin American experience with community-based forest and water management, coffee production and value chains, common-pool resources, adaptation to global change processes, protected areas, sustainability, globalization, belief systems, and human rights.

Grants (past 5 years)

• Slovenian-USA Bilateral Cooperation Grant (SLO-USA): Exploring Contributions of Common- Pool Resources to Human Well-Being. M. Smid Hribar (PI), Co-PIs: P. Kumer, M. Urbanc; USA Collaborator: C. Tucker. 2018-19.
• National Park Service, “Ethnobotany and Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Badlands National Park, South Dakota.” Principal Investigator [with C. Sage, Co-PI]. 2016-19. ($90,000)
• National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network Grant, “Bridging Communities and Scales through a Global Transdisciplinary Mountain Sustainability Network.” [Co-PI with J. Klein (Principal Investigator, Colorado State U), A. Nolin (Oregon State U) and R. Reid (Colorado State U)] 2014-2020 ($469,981)