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2000/2001 Projects | ||||||
International Human Dimensions Workshop 2000- Human Dimensions Issues in the Coastal Zone
Global change issues will remain high on both the science and political agendas of the 21st century. Appropriate assessment of these issues cannot occur without a greater involvement by the human and social science communities than has been evident to date. We need to provide opportunities for a new generation of young human and social science scholars, as well as scholars trained in interdisciplinary research and those who can bridge the natural and social sciences, especially from the developing countries, to enhance their capacity to deal with - and to achieve greater access to - this exciting field. These scholars need a forum in which to discuss how they are addressing the challenges of doing interdisciplinary research on the human dimensions of global environmental change. In 1998 the first IHDP/START IHDW was held. There was a report on the workshop in the IHDP newsletter Update (3/98) and a full report is available on the IHDP web site (www.uni-bonn.de/IHDP). 23 scientists (13 women, 10 men selected from a total of 121 applications) from 20 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America participated in the meeting. The meeting was very successful in developing a network of young scientists in developing countries linked to the IHDP. Several of the participants have, in the meantime, established human dimensions activities in their country and almost half of them had papers accepted for the major human dimensions conference held in Japan in June 1999. Based on the excellent quality of the participants, and overall positive experience of the second IHDW, we are sure to improve on this record for the next Open Meeting of the international HD research community, which will take place in Brazil in October 2001. Sessions of the IHDW 2000 were organised around a major theme: "Human Dimensions in the Coastal Zones". This was not a workshop on coastal zone issues, but this theme was used as a framework in which to apply the various research approaches and results from IHDP projects. In coastal regions, human activities are contributing to significant environmental changes and at the same time these regions are expected to experience major consequences as a result of global environmental change (GEC). Throughout the world, most urban development and economic activity occurs in the coastal zone. There is, therefore, a need to understand the driving factors of GEC in the coastal zone, the vulnerability of humans and human settlements in this zone to projected changes, and possible response options. Major questions addressed throughout the workshop included:
Outline of activities conducted
Over 350 applications were received for the 30 workshop slots (2 last-minute cancellations were received) - a strong indication of the interest and relevance of the IHDW event. Participants were selected on the basis of age (under 40 years), educational qualification (minimum requirement of Master's degree), application packages (which included a sample of research and statement of interests), region, gender and disciplinary background. The final group consisted of 16 women and 12 men, and was a mixture of social and natural scientists (from such diverse backgrounds as economics, anthropology, engineering, oceanography, political science and coastal zone management). The guiding theme of the workshop was "Human Dimensions in the Coastal Zone". The workshop was opened by a keynote talk from Professor Volker Linneweber of Magdeburg University, Germany, on "Coastal Zone Management and Environmental Psychology". The workshop was then divided into four major sessions organised by the Science Projects of IHDP: Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS); Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC); Industrial Transformation (IT); and Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC). During these sessions the participants also gave presentations on their own research, which corresponded with the session themes. The workshop sessions were designed to be "interactive" - departing from a more traditional format of lectures and discussion. The participants had the opportunity to experiment with tools used in interdisciplinary human dimensions research, to work in small groups on assigned problems and to find ways to link their own research interests to research foci of the IHDP projects. In addition, a full day interactive session was organised by members of the project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) on "Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone" (LOICZ). Evening sessions were scheduled to highlight other key coastal zone research initiatives at both the German national, regional and international level, including a representative from UNESCO's Environmental and Development in Coastal Regions and Small Islands initiative. For two half-day sessions the participants worked in smaller working groups to write short Policy Briefing Papers on "Human Dimensions Issues in the Coastal Zone". These papers were based on the participants' own disciplinary and regional perspectives integrated with the information they received during the course of the workshop. Outcomes/Products
The most exciting aspects of the workshop were the research linkages, networks and plans for future collaboration among participants. This excitement was also felt by session leaders, who also left with new perspectives on their research, and new contacts in their communities. Several ideas were discussed among participants and session leaders for joint projects and initiatives to be developed for possible input to major GEC conferences in 2001 (Global Change, Amsterdam and HD Open Meeting, Brazil). Many of the participants plan to submit abstracts to participate in these major conferences. Two groups that formed as a result of the workshop are elaborating their own projects - one which will develop a network of Latin American and African researchers on land use and land cover change issues, and the other to design and distribute a course manual and study guide on HD in the coastal zones (in printed and CD-ROM multi-media versions). Other participants are interested in acting as contact points for national HD communities in their countries, with the goal of establishing national committees. IHDPs already successful Seed Grant Initiative was suggested as a mechanism to assist in this. Future directions/Follow-up work
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