Landscape and Urban Planning 74 (2006) 204–222 Collaboration and conflict in an applied human ecology project in coastal Yucatan, Mexico Federico Dickinson ∗ , Dolores Viga, Ivette Lizarraga, Teresa Castillo Department of Human Ecology, Centro de Investigaci´ on y de Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N. (CINVESTAV), Unidad M´ erida, Apdo. Postal 73, Cordemex, Antigua Carretera Progreso Km. 6, 97310 M´ erida, Yucatan, Mexico Available online 19 October 2004 Abstract A report is made of the accomplishments and difficulties encountered during an applied human ecology project carried out in a fragile coastal wetland on the coast of Yucatan, Mexico. The agents included a Scientific Research Team (SRT), the Palafitte Group (PG), comprised of facilitators, and the community as a whole. Information was culled from 96 weekly reports for meetings held between May 1999 and February 2001 with the PG, eight interviews carried out in March 2001 with SRT members, and four work meetings held by the authors in February and March 2001. Data were examined using ‘content analysis’ at four interaction levels: (1) within the SRT; (2) between SRT and PG; (3) between SRT and the community as a whole; and (4) within the community, including the PG. Main results were: (1) advances in integration of the multidisciplinary research group during the analyzed periods, especially in acquisition of a common language, and, to a lesser extent, in its coordination; (2) within SRT, less than optimum internal discipline, breadth and depth of common language, participatory research training, and motivation; (3) lack of communication and poor commitment fulfillment between SRT and PG, and between SRT and community as a whole; (4) weak means and form of communication between PG and community, resulting in poor community motivation and collaboration. Results were analyzed with a view to applied human ecology projects similar to the studied project, i.e. those designed to contribute to the halt and reversal of anthropogenic impacts on fragile environments. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. Keywords: Participatory research; Applied human ecology; Yucatan; Mexico Resumen En este trabajo se reportan los logros y dificultades enfrentados en un proyecto de ecolog´ ıa humana aplicada, desarrollado en una comunidad ubicada en un ´ area de fr´ agiles humedales localizados en la costa del estado mexicano de Yucat´ an. Los agentes del proyecto fueron un equipo de investigaci´ on cient´ ıfica (EIC), el Grupo Palafito (GP) integrado por facilitadores, y la comunidad en su conjunto. La informaci ´ on aqu´ ı reportada fue obtenida a partir de los registros de 96 reuniones semanales del GP, realizadas entre mayo de 1999 y febrero de 2001, entrevistas a ocho miembros del EIC, realizadas en marzo de 2001 y cuatro reuniones de trabajo realizadas por los autores en febreo y marzo de 2001. Se aplic´ o un an´ alisis de contenido a la informaci´ on obtenida, ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +52 999 981 29 60x302; fax: +52 999 981 46 70. E-mail address: dickinso@mda.cinvestav.mx (F. Dickinson). 0169-2046/$20.00 © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2004.09.004