The Interamerican Center of Environmental and Territorial Development and Research is a branch of the Universidad de Los Andes fundamentally dedicated to postgraduate instruction and interdisciplinary research. It has as its principal objective the contribution to economic and social development in Venezuela and the rest of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean through the training of human resources and the generation, innovation, and adaptation of knowledge in order to articulate policies and design, execute, and administer plans, programs and projects of sustainable development of water, land, and related natural resources. In the same way, CIDIAT aims to participate as a Center of support in postgraduate and undergraduate programs of other branches of the Universidad de Los Andes which solicit collaboration. The areas covered by CIDIAT are the following: A. Sustainable territorial development with emphasis on: A.1. Environmental management of watershed A.1.1. Formulation, evaluation, and pursuit of plans, programs, and projects regarding water and other concomitant natural resources, taking into consideration criteria of sustainability. A.1.2. Protection of renewable natural resources. A.1.3. Environmental recovery of areas affected by productive activities and natural degradation processes. A.1.4. Utilization of water and land for the sustainable production of food; through irrigation and drainage projects. A.2. Environmental management of urban areas A.2.1. Management of potable water supply systems. A.2.2. Urban environmental sanitation: A.2.2.1. Integral management of solid wastes. A.2.2.2. Recollection, treatment, and final arrangement of residual waters. A.2.3. Formulation, evaluation, and pursuit of potable water and sanitation supply projects; taking into consideration criteria of sustainability. B. Instruments of support for environmental management: B.1. Instruments of environmental policy B.1.1. Management of environmental conflicts B.1.2. Public participation (by the community) B.1.3. Environmental education B.1.4. Environmental legislation B.2. Environmental information B.2.1. Collection, processing, and evaluation of basic information. B.2.2. Geographic information systems B.3. Environmental economy B.4. Environmental impact evaluation B.5. Ordination of territory B.6. Planning and administration of land use. Lines of Research: - Sustainable territorial development - Instruments of support for environmental management