It has been recently recognized that ecological issues are more complex that what we ecologists believed at the beginning of this discipline. In addition to the complexity of the topics ecologist deal with, the consideration of humans as part of the ecosystems, with the capacity of change ecosystems structure and functioning at the highest rates ever, post the necessity of multidisciplinary approaches to solve ecological issues. That requires the formation of a different type of ecologists that includes in addition to a strong formation on ecological and biological topics, the skills to understand the relationship that such topics have with economics, politics, anthropology and ethics, among others.

Results/Conclusions The undergraduate ecology program that Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia, has developed for 15 years, seeks to create professionals with the ability to understand the natural systems and its interaction with the social systems. It gives the students the conceptual and methodological tools to solve ecological issues considering other disciplines views. The 5 years program includes a 60% courses in Biology and Ecology, and a 40% of courses such as economics, anthropology, development, geography, philosophy, and ethics. The greatest challenge for universities is to develop bridges among the traditional and one-discipline oriented departments, to develop interdisciplinary approaches that allows to understand and solve the complex ecological issues ecosystems are facing, being the humans a part of them.