The Southern African Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (SAPECS) is excited to share the recent publication of an article that highlights the incredible work that our team has been doing over the past decade.
The article, titled “The Southern African Program on Ecosystem Change and Society: an emergent community of practice,” was recently published in Ecosystems and People and is a testament to the incredible work that our team has been doing over the past decade to build capacity and knowledge in support of more sustainable, just, and equitable futures.
The article provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the SAPECS community of practice, which consists of a network of researchers who carry out place-based social-ecological systems research in the Southern African region. Through various cross-cutting working groups and public events, SAPECS has been able to foster a community of researchers, students, and practitioners who are dedicated to understanding and addressing the complex challenges facing social-ecological systems in the region.
The core objectives of SAPECS are to derive new approaches and empirical insights on social-ecological system dynamics in the Southern African context, to mainstream knowledge into policy and practice, and to grow the community of practice engaged in social-ecological system research and governance. Over the past decade, SAPECS has made significant progress towards achieving these objectives through the development of innovative research methods, the creation of strong partnerships with policymakers and practitioners, and the translation of research findings into policy and practice.
One of the key contributions of SAPECS has been the development of a transdisciplinary approach to research. By bringing together experts from a wide range of disciplines, SAPECS has been able better to understand the interconnected nature of social and ecological systems and to develop more effective strategies for addressing complex sustainability challenges.
Overall, the publication of this article is an exciting milestone for SAPECS and a testament to the valuable work that our team has been doing over the past decade. We hope that the insights shared in this article will inspire and support the development of similar communities of practice around the world, particularly in the Global South.
To read the full article, please visit: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26395916.2022.2150317
