An international student program in social-ecological systems: sustainable forest management and resilience thinking from local Andean-Patagonian forests to the world
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Date
2018
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Abstract
The interconnected challenges of building resilience and generating sustainable forestry practices demand a holistic appreciation of social-ecological systems and requires us to step beyond disciplines to gain a broader understanding of the world. The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (QS Standard ranked #1st in Latin America) offers an academic program consisting of 5 modules where students and lecturers bring together different perspectives in order to generate sound research questions and propose innovative solutions to real-world problems in environmental, forestry, and socio-cultural issues. The main objective of the program is to promote a holistic and critical understanding of forest and culture interactions based on an interdisciplinary methodology with a strong practical-based work. An integrative set of modules fosters greater links between the natural and social sciences, in order to engage with the complex issues of biodiversity conservation, forest management, inter-ethnic relations, and policy-making for sustainable development. The program comprises the following courses: 1. Latin American Conservation; 2. Conservation of Forest Ecosystems and Wildlife; 3. Territory, Interculturality and Education for Sustainability; 4. Interdisciplinary Methods for Inquiring Social-Ecological Systems; and 5. Planning for Sustainability. This program can be adapted for either undergraduate or graduate students, and for a full term or an intensive summer school. It takes place at the southern campus of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Sede regional de villarrica Campus) and its surroundings, a unique setting in southern Chile characterized by multiple land covers/uses (forests, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, human settlements and protected areas) and cultural backgrounds (indigenous peoples, non-indigenous peasants, immigrants, and long-term settlers). In this presentation we introduce the aims, content and the potential of this program for forestry students from around the world
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Forestry, Conservation biology, Environmental studies, Ecology, Environmental sustainability