“Tero science”: producing evidence in the south for developing regulations in the north

This article introduces the “tero science” hypothesis to analyze the dynamics of knowledge production between the Global South and the Global North. The tero, a small South American bird, sings away from its nest to distract predators and protect its young. Using this analogy, we examine how collaborative research agendas – which supposedly aim to solve “urgent local problems of the periphery” – ultimately serve the regulatory and economic interests of central institutions. As a case study, we delve into the history of research on Magellanic penguins (1982–present), initiated by the Wildlife Conservation Society on the Patagonian coast of Argentina. Although the stated goal was to conserve the penguins that nest in the region, the knowledge produced in situ was crucial for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the United States to develop new regulations and standards to ensure the health and reproduction of their ex situ penguin populations. We observe that the urgency for conservation transformed penguin colonies into “laboratories” to find cognitive solutions for the regulatory problems of US zoos.