social-ecological resilience | Resilience Science

A workshop on resilience and cultural landscapes is going to be held in Berlin, Germany from 15 to 16 June 2010. It is currently calling for papers (see below). The workshop is described in a downloadable pdf.

It states:

The workshop aims to provide an interdisciplinary forum for about 20 PhD students, post-docs, and senior researchers from all fields of landscape research, including geography, landscape ecology, institutional economics, rural sociology, agricultural and forest sciences, and land change science.

Drawing on case studies provided by participants, the workshop aims at creating, respectively enhancing, theoretical insights into the social-ecological resilience of cultural landscapes through coming to terms with – and challenging – existing concepts of “driving forces”, “thresholds”, “adaptive cycles” and “adaptive management”. We expect that an improved understanding of these issues will facilitate the fostering and advancement of future research on the resilience and sustainable management of cultural landscapes.

The basis of the workshop, and starting point for extensive discussion sessions, will be empirical studies focusing on cultural landscapes as social-ecological systems. We are especially looking forward to contributions linking ecological analysis with insights into the social processes tied to changing cultural landscapes.

Specifically, we call for papers that:

analyze drivers at different temporal and spatial scales for determining the state of cultural landscapes;

identify thresholds and regime shifts that result from crossing these thresholds;

examine ways to enhance the resilience of cultural landscapes so as to avoid shifts towards undesired structural or functional states;

discuss the contributions that the adaptive cycle provides for the understanding of cultural landscape dynamics;

specify adaptive management strategies for the restoration of natural and social capital in traditional or “novel“ cultural landscapes;

contrast the “social-ecological systems” perspective with the “cultural landscape” concept.

The outcome of the workshop is to be published either in an edited book or in a special issue of a relevant journal. The geographic focus of the workshop will be on Europe, but reference to other cultural landscapes of the world is also welcome

Please send an abstract (ca. 300 words) to Claudia Bieling or Tobias Plieninger by 28 February 2010. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by 14 March 2010. Final papers are due by 30 May 2010.

Costs of participation in the seminar will be covered. Participants are expected to bear expenses for transportation and accommodation themselves. To a limited extent, we can additionally provide travel support to people who would be unable to attend the workshop otherwise. If applicable, send your request for financial assistance together with your abstract.

The workshop will include keynote presentations by:

Mauro Agnoletti, University of Florence (Italy)

Carole Crumley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA) / Stockholm Resilience

Centre (Sweden)

Lesley Head, University of Wollongong (Australia)

Ann Kinzig, Arizona State University (USA)

Mats Widgren, Stockholm University (Sweden)

The Mistra <www.mistra.org> program “Future Forests” invites applicants for a full-time postdoctoral position, one year with the possibility of extending to two years.

The research program Future Forests <www.futureforests.se> started in January 2009 and has funding for four years, with a possibility for another four years. The program directly involves some 30 researchers from several Swedish universities and institutions, and also involve a large number of stakeholders. The program has the ambition to significantly improve the base of knowledge on the provision of ecosystem services from the forest landscape.

The aim of the post-doc position is to contribute to the analyses of resilience and sustainability in large- scale social-ecological forest systems, with a particular focus on the whole of the Swedish forest sector. The work could, for instance, involve literature reviews, modelling, and/or stakeholder interviews, depending on the research profile of the successful candidate. The successful candidate is expected to work closely with colleagues from many disciplines within the program, and also to interact with stakeholders representing many interests.

To qualify for this position you need a PhD degree in environmental sciences, forestry, or social sciences, preferably not more than three years old, and with a research experience in resilience or sustainability issues. Further, you need to show a strong track record of publications and an ability to work independently. The position will start as soon as possible, and will be placed in Umeå.

For more information contact Prof. Jon Moen, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden. Phone: +46-(0)90-786 9647, email: <jon.moen@emg.umu.se>.

You application, in English, must include a short summary (max. 1 page) of your previous research experiences, your curriculum vitae, a maximum of three publications from refereed international journals, and names and contact details (telephone and email) of two suitable academic referee persons. Union information is available from SACO, +46- (0)90-786 53 65, SEKO, +46-(0)90-786 52 96 and ST, +46-(0)90-786 54 31.

Documents sent electronically should be in MS Word or PDF format.

Your complete application, marked with reference number 315-1103-09, should be sent to <jobb@umu. se> (state the reference number as subject) or to the Registrar, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden to arrive January 7, 2010 at the latest. We look forward to receiving your application!

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