Tropentag 2009 Summer School- Conservation and Management of Biodiversity in the Tropics, 27 September- 9 October 2009, Goettingen & Hamburg, Germany


Download the Call for Papers for the Tropentag 2009 Summer School (PDF- 376KB)

Download the latest Program for the Opening Day of the Tropentag 2009 Summer School (PDF- 99KB)

Background

The DAAD-lnternational Alumni Summer School on "Conservation and Management of Biodiversity in the Tropics" will take place in Goettingen from 27 September- 05 October 2009 within the framework of Tropentag 2009. After having completed the Summer School in Gottingen, the participants will travel to Hamburg to attend the Tropentag 2009, an international conference with the topic "Biophysical and Socio-economic Frame Conditions for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources". Travel to Germany is on September 27 and back to the respective home country on October 9, 2009.

This Summer School - organized by CeTSAF within CGKM1 - complements the on-going series of Summer Schools with biodiversity related issues, which are aimed to bring together alumni of German universities with a biodiversity-related professional background. Through the establishment of GAInBiNet (German international Biodiversity Network) in 2008, there are series of symposia planned which are addressing biodiversity related issues. By that, GAInBiNet opens for a global audience of biodiversity experts.

Main objectives

The main objective of the Summer School on "Conservation and Management of Biodiversity in the Tropics" in Goettingen is the discussion of challenges and perspectives in conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of ecosystem degradation in the tropics and contribution of biodiversity in achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs). The regional Summer School with its presentations, workshops, excursion and the participation and presentation at the Tropentag 2009 (www.tropentag.de) in Hamburg will give all participants the opportunity to share their experience and in-sights into biodiversity conservation issues in the tropics. The participants will be professionals, academicians and practitioners in biodiversity related fields from developing countries.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, the Heads of State and Government committed to reduce the rate of loss of biological diversity significantly by 2010. This Summer School, entitled "Conservation and Management of Biodiversity in the Tropics" will focus on economic aspects of biodiversity addressed by the sustainable management and use of ecological resources, the value of biological diversity in politics and economy and the fair and equitable sharing of its benefits. The following are the major thematic coverage of this Summer School:

• Ecosystem services


• Economic significance of the global loss of biological diversity


• Biodiversity and economy


• Biodiversity and corporate sustainability management


• Eco-labeling


• Monitoring biodiversity


• Biodiversity information systems


• Managing biodiversity in developing societies


• Education and biodiversity

Program format

The Summer School will start with the welcome and key notes from the experts and will be concluded with the travel to the Tropentag 2009 in Hamburg. The structure of the Summer School will follow the "Symposium cum Workshop" format with lectures by the distinguished experts as well as contributions by the participants (Please see the Call for Papers). Additionally, participants of the Summer School will work on presentations of the outcome of the Summer School for a poster session at the Tropentag. This constellation will give participants the opportunity for critical discussion, the development of research concepts and to create networks among themselves and with the participating experts and representatives of different organizations. Additionally there will be an excursion to visit a commercial company that integrates a biodiversity concept.

Participants

The participants of the Summer School should be

• Alumni from developing countries who have been at German universities as students, graduates, and researchers


• Involved in the field of agricultural and forestry as well as economic and social science discipline in teaching, research, policy and practice with the issues of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources


• Decision makers, in the biodiversity management sector

Date of arrival in Goettingen will be Sunday, 27 September 2009 and departure from Goettingen will be Friday, 09 October 2009. Venues are Goettingen (27 Sept.- 5 Oct., 2009) and Hamburg (6 - 8 Oct., 2009).

Organization

The Symposium is organized by the Centre for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Forestry (CeTSAF), Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen, Germany.

It takes place in the framework of German International Biodiversity Network (GAInBiNet), which is financially supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Registration and cost

The following costs will be covered by the DAAD:

• Economy-class return flight ticket


• Railway ticket from Frankfurt Airport to Goettingen


• Railway ticket from Hamburg to Frankfurt Airport


• Travel and accommodation in Hamburg during the Tropentag 2009


• Hotel costs, catering, health insurance and visa costs

We ask also all participants to cover the transport costs from their home town to the home airport.

Application

If you are interested in participation, please send your application via e-mail to Prof. Dr. Kerstin Wydra, email: cetsaf(at)uni-goettingen.de

Please include:

• A short CV, giving information on personal data, present duties/ position, studies at home and in Germany, professional development (1 page)


• An overview over seminars, workshops or conferences visited in Germany after fin­ishing your studies in Germany


• A short description of your special interest in the topic of the Summer School


• The abstract of your contribution (please see the instructions at the end of this document)

The Summer School will be held in English, sufficient knowledge is required to participate in the Summer School, enabling you to follow the presentations and discussion rounds.

Deadline for application is 31 July 2009.

The Summer School is limited to 25 participants. Successful applicants will be informed by email by 15 August 2009. Travel grantees commit themselves to hand in their full papers (about 5 pages) by 21 September 2009, so that the Symposiums' documents can be prepared accordingly.