Call for applications: Masters and PhD bursaries & Postdoctoral fellowships for 2016

SARChI Research Chair in Social-­Ecological Systems and Resilience Hosted by the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at Stellenbosch University Call for applications: Masters and PhD bursaries & Postdoctoral fellowships for 2016 Deadline for applications: 15 January 2016  Download advert here Escalating global challenges such as climate change, food and water security, biodiversity loss, socio-political conflict and economic volatility, demand new approaches to researching and governing our environment and societies. Approaches that account for the complex relationships between human well-­being and ecological sustainability, while dealing with ongoing change and uncertainty, have become critical. It is increasingly apparent that fundamental reorganization of our [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00December 8th, 2015|SAPECS News|

SAPECS learning event: The practicalities of engaging with society in social-ecological research

- by Odirilwe Selomane Just before the first ever Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) conference this past November in Stellenbosch, SAPECS organised a pre-conference learning event for early career social-ecological systems researchers at STIAS; coordinated and facilitated by Christo Fabricius from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). The topic of the event was “Participatory Action Research in Social-Ecological Systems”, and the focus was particularly on discussing the principles and practice of doing this research. The format for the day was three 15 minute food-for-thought presentations, each followed by an hour of dialogues and discussions in break-out groups, with a [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00December 4th, 2015|SAPECS News|

PECS Science-Policy Dialogue explores different pathways towards creating good Anthropocene futures in southern Africa

We have entered a new geological era called the Anthropocene, where human actions that are characterized by an increase in connectivity, speed and mobility are profoundly influencing the functioning of the earth system. Arguably the challenges of living in the Anthropocene are too complex and intractable to be solved by scientists, policymakers or corporate business in isolation of one another. To tackle the problem of navigating the complex mix of intertwined social-ecological drivers, biophysical constraints and improved social conditions for all, the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) (an approved project of the Future Earth) hosted a Science-Policy-Practice Dialogue [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00December 1st, 2015|SAPECS News|

Storify summary of #PECS2015

The first PECS conference, held near Stellenbosch on 3 - 5 November, was a resounding success, with provocative and insightful keynote presentations, innovative sessions and much merry mingling aided by some of the best wine South Africa has to offer! More posts on this conference will follow in the coming days on this website, but in the meantime, a great Twitter overview is available at the following Storify account: https://storify.com/PECS_Project/pecs2015-conference Stay tuned for more!    

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00November 20th, 2015|SAPECS News|

Creating positive stories of the future

Two workshops were recently held in Mozambique and Kenya, as part of the "Seeds of Good Anthropocenes" initiative. In the post below, Laura Pereira describes one of these workshops and its outcomes.    Once upon a time in Paradiso village, there lived a fisherman with his wife and two children… As we all know, this is how all good stories start, and it was no different for the third day of the Kenyan workshop where the participants got to draw on all their creativity and story-telling skills to build positive stories of a future Kenya in the age of the Anthropocene. [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00November 19th, 2015|SAPECS News|

New Research Chair in “Social-Ecological Systems and Resilience”

Dr Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs has been awarded a Research Chair in "Social-Ecological Systems and Resilience” as part of the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI). The Research Chair Initiative was established in 2006 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Research Foundation (NRF), with the aim of attracting and retaining excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities. Since then, a total of 197 Chairs have been awarded in diverse disciplines across the natural sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences. To be chosen as a recipient, researchers have to demonstrate substantial international recognition for [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00September 21st, 2015|SAPECS News|

New paper on using ecosystem services to identify green- and red-loop systems

SAPECS researchers Maike Hamann, Oonsie Biggs and Belinda Reyers recently released a study on identifying social-ecological systems based on the level of ecosystem service use among households. The paper, published open-access in the journal Global Environmental Change, explores the relationship between people and nature within so-called 'green-loop' and 'red-loop' systems in South Africa. The researchers used national census data to evaluate the direct use of six ecosystem services: animal production such as livestock and poultry, crop production, use of freshwater from a natural source, use of firewood for cooking, use of firewood for heating and use of natural building materials. Based [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00September 18th, 2015|SAPECS News|

SAPECS Learning Event: Participatory Action Research in Social-Ecological Systems, 01-02 Nov

Participatory Action Research in Social-Ecological Systems: Principles and Practice when Working with Communities   Dates: 1 November at 16:00 until 2 November 17:30 (before the PECS2015 Conference, www.pecs2015.org) Venue: Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS), 10 Marais Street, Stellenbosch Facilitators: Christo Fabricius with Dirk Roux; Maria Tengö; Franck de Saint Simon; Karen Esler and others   Background Scholars of the dynamics and interactions of ecosystems and society are beginning to appreciate the value of local and informal knowledge and the need to share information with stakeholders. People’s participation is therefore not only desirable but essential and can take the form [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00September 11th, 2015|SAPECS News|

PECS 2015: Registration closes 18 September

PECS 2015 Conference Spier Estate | Stellenbosch | South Africa 3 - 5 November 2015 www.pecs2015.org Registration Closing: 18 September 2015 Limited space still available   Click here to register   ACCOMMODATION BOOKING REMINDER Bookings close 18 September 2015 Accommodation with discounted rates only for PECS2015 registrants available. Please click here for further information.  We have arranged complimentary transfers from the conference selected hotels to the conference venue at Spier. DRAFT SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME UPLOADED Click here   KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Click here ·         Eduardo S. Brondizio - Professor of Anthropology and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Sciences at Indiana University-Bloomington, United States. [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00September 10th, 2015|SAPECS News|

Oonsie Biggs receives prestigious rating from the NRF

SAPECS researcher Oonsie Biggs received a prestigious P-rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) for her outstanding research on social-ecological regime shifts and their impact on ecosystem services. P-rated researchers have demonstrated the potential of becoming future international leaders in their field based on exceptional research performance and output early in their careers. Biggs says the P-Rating is an honour, and a real boost for social-ecological sustainability research in the region. "I hope that this award will open up new opportunities to train students and carry out collaborative research with other researchers working in this field in South Africa." "I [...]

2024-06-19T13:54:52+02:00August 6th, 2015|SAPECS News|
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