WCBR Research Workshop Report 2018
The Western Cape Biosphere Reserve Research Workshop Report 2018 can be viewed here.
This workshop “Towards a Research Agenda” took place on 31 August 2018 was hosted by the Sustainability Research Unit at Nelson Mandela University, George Campus.
The Nelson Mandela University, Sustainability Research Unit hosted a workshop bringing together a diversity of practitioners, researchers and interested parties who are tasked with aligning human activity and well-being with environmental protection in the Western Cape biosphere reserves.
The workshop was focused on facilitating a Western Cape biosphere research network and developing a user inspired, coordinated research agenda. Working at the interface of practice and research the workshop targeted the development of a social-ecological research focus that would inform inter-, multi, and trans-disciplinary research themes for the biosphere reserves.
A series of short presentations from the Western Cape Biosphere Reserves Forum on social and ecological challenges in the Western Cape and the launch of a research portal, together with an introduction to the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework and the need for long term inter- and trans-disciplinary research in and on biosphere reserves were given. The presentations set the scene for important deliberations on the challenges of achieving biosphere reserve goals and, the difficulties, opportunities and role of networks in facilitating research practice feedbacks for impactful research.