climate change social impacts sustainabilty innovation
Welcome to NISANSA – the joint project by University of Marburg and University of Gießen complements climate change research with regional and social science perspectives, focusing on the Global South. The project investigates which climate change impacts the societies of the Global South (southern Africa and northern South America) are confronted with, which potentials exist to react to them and which implications this has for the global North, Europe and Germany.
The question of adequate social reactions to the consequences of climate change is one of the central challenges for the future.
The joint project NISANSA complements climate change research with regional and social science perspectives, focusing on the global South. The project investigates which climate change impacts the societies of the global South (southern Africa and northern South America) are confronted with, which potentials exist to respond to them and which implications this has for the global North, Europe and Germany.
Research Interest
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What are the consequences of climate change in and for the countries and regions in the Global South?
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How do they address climate change and its consequences?
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What are the social implications for these regions, and what possibilities and potential exists to react to them?
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Which programs and institutional structures are used to address the impacts of climate change?
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Which practices of sustainable action emerge (sustainability innovation)?
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And what are the consequences for the Global North, Europe, and Germany?
The joint project between the UMR and the JLU investigates these questions from a transregional and comparative perspective, focusing on Southern Africa and Northern South America. The aim is to generate sound knowledge about the social consequences of climate change in these regions. The project aims systematically complement current climate research with regional and social science perspectives. Natural sciences and statistical climate models primarily characterize climate research. However, climate change is not only a matter of climatological and ecological change, but it also implies political and cultural responses and societal transformations.
In a group of seven subprojects, the interdisciplinary joint project between the Philipps-University of Marburg and the Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen has been investigating these questions in countries in southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa) and northern South America (Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela) since July 2021.
Latest News
Publication
March 2022
Policy Advice Strategies for Climate Change Adaption in International Cooperation with Malawi and Namibia
Sara Lüttich & Matthias Rompel
Teilprojekt 7
SASSCAL
April 21st 2022, Windhoek Namibia
SASSCAL to celebrate 10 years of excellence in climate change research
1st NISANSA to be announced
May 20th 2022
The first NISANSA-Symposium is now set for July 11th 2022 taking place at Philipps-University of Marburg. Further Information will be prvided shortly.
nisansa concept series
Hi everyone!
Today´s concept is about so-called nature-based solutions.
Nature-based Solutions -NbS- are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, like climate change, disaster risk reduction, food and water security, biodiversity loss and human health, and are critical to sustainable economic development.
Although well-designed NbS can deliver multiple benefits for people and nature, much of the recent limelight has been on tree planting for carbon sequestration. There are serious concerns that this is distracting from the need to rapidly phase out use of fossil fuels and protect existing intact ecosystems. There are also concerns that the expansion of forestry framed as a climate change mitigation solution is coming at the cost of carbon-rich and biodiverse native ecosystems and local resource rights (Seddon et al. 2021).
The potential Nature-base solutions to the threats of climate change in these ecosystems and the vulnerability of the human populations living there are increasingly acting from national governmental support and international cooperation.
Hence, it is important to take into account the relationship between the different actors linked to these ecosystems and the results they have had so far in their objectives of ecosystem recovery, especially against the background of how these efforts show long-term results.
📸: Diana Isabel Jiménez-Restrepo, Columbia
#climatechange #naturebasedsolutions #research #researchproject #jlugiessen #unimarburg #science #sciencecommunication #biology #transformation #climateconcepts
#nisansaprojectweb
Hi everyone!
Today´s concept is about so-called nature-based solutions.
Nature-based Solutions -NbS- are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, like climate change, disaster risk reduction, food and water security, biodiversity loss and human health, and are critical to sustainable economic development.
Although well-designed NbS can deliver multiple benefits for people and nature, much of the recent limelight has been on tree planting for carbon sequestration. There are serious concerns that this is distracting from the need to rapidly phase out use of fossil fuels and protect existing intact ecosystems. There are also concerns that the expansion of forestry framed as a climate change mitigation solution is coming at the cost of carbon-rich and biodiverse native ecosystems and local resource rights (Seddon et al. 2021).
The potential Nature-base solutions to the threats of climate change in these ecosystems and the vulnerability of the human populations living there are increasingly acting from national governmental support and international cooperation.
Hence, it is important to take into account the relationship between the different actors linked to these ecosystems and the results they have had so far in their objectives of ecosystem recovery, especially against the background of how these efforts show long-term results.
📸: Diana Isabel Jiménez-Restrepo, Columbia
#climatechange #naturebasedsolutions #research #researchproject #jlugiessen #unimarburg #science #sciencecommunication #biology #transformation #climateconcepts
#nisansaprojectweb
We are continuing with our concept series! Today we are going to have a closer look what `extractivism` means and why it is an important term when researching in the Global South.
Extractivism is a natural resource-driven development model, that is to say an extractivist state is basically exporting natural resources, like oil, copper, wood or agricultural products, to finance itself. This model is often associated with the idea to `develop` - but is there really more development where natural resources are extracted?
Most countries in the Global South fall into the category of being extractivist states. This is because extractivism has its roots in colonialism. After colonialism has formally ended, the region has been used as a supplier of cheap resources for the economies in the Global North.
Extractivism needs to be not just understood as an economic phenomenon, but as a complex reality which is also molding social and political structures. These extractivist structures often hinder an alteration of the status quo and economic diversification in these countries. As a result, a change towards more sustainable development models becomes impracticable. States might be caught in a trap which some academic scholars call the “extractive imperative”, where extractivist activities continue as the states’ appropriation of natural resource income remains the ultimate means to finance national development projects.
A vicious circle unfolds in countries like Ecuador for example as the extractive frontier expands further into the Amazon in form of new oil platforms: on a local level, people are often not agreeing to these new projects as they are environmentally, socially and culturally destructive, but the Ecuadorian state pushes them due to national interests.
#extractivism #climatechange #amazon #ecuador #development #conceptseries #nisansaprojectweb
📸 JS
Map derived from Warnecke-Berger, Burchardt & Ouaissa. 2022. "Natural Resources, Raw Materials, and Extractivism: The Dark Side of Sustainability", Rohstoffextraktivismus in Lateinamerika Und Dem Maghreb: Policy Brief, (1), 12.
We are continuing with our concept series! Today we are going to have a closer look what `extractivism` means and why it is an important term when researching in the Global South.
Extractivism is a natural resource-driven development model, that is to say an extractivist state is basically exporting natural resources, like oil, copper, wood or agricultural products, to finance itself. This model is often associated with the idea to `develop` - but is there really more development where natural resources are extracted?
Most countries in the Global South fall into the category of being extractivist states. This is because extractivism has its roots in colonialism. After colonialism has formally ended, the region has been used as a supplier of cheap resources for the economies in the Global North.
Extractivism needs to be not just understood as an economic phenomenon, but as a complex reality which is also molding social and political structures. These extractivist structures often hinder an alteration of the status quo and economic diversification in these countries. As a result, a change towards more sustainable development models becomes impracticable. States might be caught in a trap which some academic scholars call the “extractive imperative”, where extractivist activities continue as the states’ appropriation of natural resource income remains the ultimate means to finance national development projects.
A vicious circle unfolds in countries like Ecuador for example as the extractive frontier expands further into the Amazon in form of new oil platforms: on a local level, people are often not agreeing to these new projects as they are environmentally, socially and culturally destructive, but the Ecuadorian state pushes them due to national interests.
#extractivism #climatechange #amazon #ecuador #development #conceptseries #nisansaprojectweb
📸 JS
Map derived from Warnecke-Berger, Burchardt & Ouaissa. 2022. "Natural Resources, Raw Materials, and Extractivism: The Dark Side of Sustainability", Rohstoffextraktivismus in Lateinamerika Und Dem Maghreb: Policy Brief, (1), 12.
Are you ready for our next concept? Today we are going to focus on "resilience" and what this concept actually means in the context of our project work.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (@ipcc) defines resilience as “The ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration, or improvement of its
essential basic structures and functions.” In other words: how does the local civil society and local smallholders arm themselves against increasing climate change effects and how they try to increase their resilience?
What sounds complex in the definition above can look quite simple in practice: in Nakotho, Mozambique, for example, inhabitants have built extensive canal systems to be able to irrigate their fields even during the long dry seasons - as you see on the picture. And in Namiconha, women organize themselves in a gardening group in order to generate their own income. In doing so, they are not only shifting local gender relations towards more equality; they can now also invest in sturdier roofs and building materials – an essential step towards more resilience in a region hit by cyclones and tropical storms with increasing frequency.
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#resilience #IPCC #climatechange #climatchangeimpacts #adaptation #sustainability #sustainabilityresearch #research #jlugiessen #unimarburg #science #sciencecommunication #transformation #climateconcepts #conceptseries #mozambique #nisansaprojectweb
📸: Michaela Meurer
Are you ready for our next concept? Today we are going to focus on "resilience" and what this concept actually means in the context of our project work.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (@ipcc) defines resilience as “The ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration, or improvement of its
essential basic structures and functions.” In other words: how does the local civil society and local smallholders arm themselves against increasing climate change effects and how they try to increase their resilience?
What sounds complex in the definition above can look quite simple in practice: in Nakotho, Mozambique, for example, inhabitants have built extensive canal systems to be able to irrigate their fields even during the long dry seasons - as you see on the picture. And in Namiconha, women organize themselves in a gardening group in order to generate their own income. In doing so, they are not only shifting local gender relations towards more equality; they can now also invest in sturdier roofs and building materials – an essential step towards more resilience in a region hit by cyclones and tropical storms with increasing frequency.
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#resilience #IPCC #climatechange #climatchangeimpacts #adaptation #sustainability #sustainabilityresearch #research #jlugiessen #unimarburg #science #sciencecommunication #transformation #climateconcepts #conceptseries #mozambique #nisansaprojectweb
📸: Michaela Meurer
Get to know subproject 6!
Climate change-induced changes in the availability and security of water in Southern Africa require new innovative forms of approaches. Therefore, sustainability innovations gain momentum as they aim to promote forward-thinking adaptation processes to these consequences. These highly context-specific innovations form the core of this SP as they strive to normatively and sustainably change established, institutionalized social action practices. The overarching objective is to analyze comparatively the spatio-temporal dynamics of organizational and institutional transformation pathways in Namibia, South Africa and Colombia, associated with the emergence and implementation of complex sustainability innovations. Processes and actors form the centre point of the three research questions: (1) how is knowledge anchored in different cultural, socio-economic and ecological knowledge domains, integrated and transferred across heterogeneous organizations, social and spatial scales in adaption processes, (2) how and in which ways are institutional dynamics shaped at local, regional, national and transboundary scales (e.g. multi-scalarity) to foster adaptive water governance systems?, (3) How do transnational networks (e.g. GWP SA, SASSCAL), international organizations, intermediary and science-based organizations contribute to these processes? // Collaborations: African Climate & Development Initiative (kein Insta) SASSCAL (kein Insta) @university_of_cape_town // Foto Credits: https://www.erlebe.de/suedafrika/infos/reisen-in-suedafrika/ /// #climatechange #cambioclimatico #climatechangeimpacts #environment #medioambiente #sustainability #sostentabilidad #sustainabilityinnovation #globalwarming #calentamientoglobal #savetheplanet #climate #climatecrisis #climateaction #climatechangeisreal #climateemergency #globalsouth #africa #namibia #southafrica #jlugiessen #unimarburg #bmbf #nisubweb
1 Min.
Get to know subproject 6!
Climate change-induced changes in the availability and security of water in Southern Africa require new innovative forms of approaches. Therefore, sustainability innovations gain momentum as they aim to promote forward-thinking adaptation processes to these consequences. These highly context-specific innovations form the core of this SP as they strive to normatively and sustainably change established, institutionalized social action practices. The overarching objective is to analyze comparatively the spatio-temporal dynamics of organizational and institutional transformation pathways in Namibia, South Africa and Colombia, associated with the emergence and implementation of complex sustainability innovations. Processes and actors form the centre point of the three research questions: (1) how is knowledge anchored in different cultural, socio-economic and ecological knowledge domains, integrated and transferred across heterogeneous organizations, social and spatial scales in adaption processes, (2) how and in which ways are institutional dynamics shaped at local, regional, national and transboundary scales (e.g. multi-scalarity) to foster adaptive water governance systems?, (3) How do transnational networks (e.g. GWP SA, SASSCAL), international organizations, intermediary and science-based organizations contribute to these processes? // Collaborations: African Climate & Development Initiative (kein Insta) SASSCAL (kein Insta) @university_of_cape_town // Foto Credits: https://www.erlebe.de/suedafrika/infos/reisen-in-suedafrika/ /// #climatechange #cambioclimatico #climatechangeimpacts #environment #medioambiente #sustainability #sostentabilidad #sustainabilityinnovation #globalwarming #calentamientoglobal #savetheplanet #climate #climatecrisis #climateaction #climatechangeisreal #climateemergency #globalsouth #africa #namibia #southafrica #jlugiessen #unimarburg #bmbf #nisubweb
1 Min.
nisansa subprojects
Let´s have a look into subproject 4, today!
We examine the behavior of local resource users in relation to different climate change and governance scenarios using experimental approaches. For this purpose, economic experiments are developed together with implementation partners, which are not only used to observe behavior but also to enter into a dialogue with the participants. Based on aforementioned scenarios, participants can experiment with different management options in a low-risk space, learn how fellow community members behave and what consequences their action can have in the long term and on others. This kind of playful experience can accelerate a real-life learning process. Building on this process, adaptation strategies and innovations will be discussed with the participants and various stakeholders. In this participatory process, we will try to better understand local knowledge about resource dynamics, to capture local discourses and, if necessary, to change resource management behavior. The next step is to measure the impact of these experimental workshops by visiting the same village communities again a year later. If we find evidence for the intended impact, this can increase the motivation of implementation partners to integrate experimental workshops into their intervention strategies. // Collaborations: @unam_na // Foto Credits: https://www.viamonda.de/namibia/namibia-einzigartige-landschaften-wildtiere-t0002917/ //
#climatechange #cambioclimatico #climatechangeimpacts #environment #sustainability #sostentabilidad #globalwarming #calentamientoglobal #angola #mozambique #namibia #experimentalworkshop #nisansa #researchproject #jlugiessen #unimarburg #nisubweb
Let´s have a look into subproject 4, today!
We examine the behavior of local resource users in relation to different climate change and governance scenarios using experimental approaches. For this purpose, economic experiments are developed together with implementation partners, which are not only used to observe behavior but also to enter into a dialogue with the participants. Based on aforementioned scenarios, participants can experiment with different management options in a low-risk space, learn how fellow community members behave and what consequences their action can have in the long term and on others. This kind of playful experience can accelerate a real-life learning process. Building on this process, adaptation strategies and innovations will be discussed with the participants and various stakeholders. In this participatory process, we will try to better understand local knowledge about resource dynamics, to capture local discourses and, if necessary, to change resource management behavior. The next step is to measure the impact of these experimental workshops by visiting the same village communities again a year later. If we find evidence for the intended impact, this can increase the motivation of implementation partners to integrate experimental workshops into their intervention strategies. // Collaborations: @unam_na // Foto Credits: https://www.viamonda.de/namibia/namibia-einzigartige-landschaften-wildtiere-t0002917/ //
#climatechange #cambioclimatico #climatechangeimpacts #environment #sustainability #sostentabilidad #globalwarming #calentamientoglobal #angola #mozambique #namibia #experimentalworkshop #nisansa #researchproject #jlugiessen #unimarburg #nisubweb
Our research concentrates on local climate initiatives in Pará (Brazil), Magdalena (Colombia) and Niassa/Nampula (Mozambique).We are particularly interested in their strategies of action against ecological and social effects of climate change & in the diversity of involved climate knowledge.We investigate how global programmes and national policies for climate change impact adaptation are implemented and work at local and regional level.What tensions arise between this multiplicity of actors from diff. levels of society and from diff. backgrounds?Between their strategies, visions, projects and forms of knowledge?What kind of synergies emerge and what challenges and potentials for sustainability innovation are revealed?Over the next three years, we will empirically investigate these questions through ethnographic field research, problem-centred expert interviews, and content analysis of programmes, public discourses and established adaptation measures.
Collaborations:@ufpa_oficial @unimagdalena Universidade de Rovuma
Photo: Meurer
Nuestra investigación se concentra en las iniciativas locales en Pará (Brasil), Magdalena, y Niassa/Napula.Estamos particularmente interesados en sus estrategias de acción para enfrentar los efectos ecológicos y sociales del cambio climático.Nos interesa también la diversidad envuelta en el conocimiento del cambio climático.También investigamos cómo los programas globales y las políticas nacionales para la adaptación al cambio climático que son implementados y que funcionan a una escala regional y nacional.¿Qué tensiones sobresalen entre esta multiplicidad de actores de diferentes niveles de la sociedad y de diferentes trasfondos, entre sus estrategias, visiones, proyectos y formas de conocimiento?¿Qué clase de sinergias emergen y cuáles retos y potenciales para la sostenibilidad, innovación son revelados?Por los próximos tres años, estaremos invesitigando de forma empírica estas preguntas a través de una trabajo etnográfico de campo, con entrevistas a expertos que se centran específicamente en el problema y un análisis de contenido de los programas, los discursos públicos y las medidas de adaptación establecidas. #nisubweb
Our research concentrates on local climate initiatives in Pará (Brazil), Magdalena (Colombia) and Niassa/Nampula (Mozambique).We are particularly interested in their strategies of action against ecological and social effects of climate change & in the diversity of involved climate knowledge.We investigate how global programmes and national policies for climate change impact adaptation are implemented and work at local and regional level.What tensions arise between this multiplicity of actors from diff. levels of society and from diff. backgrounds?Between their strategies, visions, projects and forms of knowledge?What kind of synergies emerge and what challenges and potentials for sustainability innovation are revealed?Over the next three years, we will empirically investigate these questions through ethnographic field research, problem-centred expert interviews, and content analysis of programmes, public discourses and established adaptation measures.
Collaborations:@ufpa_oficial @unimagdalena Universidade de Rovuma
Photo: Meurer
Nuestra investigación se concentra en las iniciativas locales en Pará (Brasil), Magdalena, y Niassa/Napula.Estamos particularmente interesados en sus estrategias de acción para enfrentar los efectos ecológicos y sociales del cambio climático.Nos interesa también la diversidad envuelta en el conocimiento del cambio climático.También investigamos cómo los programas globales y las políticas nacionales para la adaptación al cambio climático que son implementados y que funcionan a una escala regional y nacional.¿Qué tensiones sobresalen entre esta multiplicidad de actores de diferentes niveles de la sociedad y de diferentes trasfondos, entre sus estrategias, visiones, proyectos y formas de conocimiento?¿Qué clase de sinergias emergen y cuáles retos y potenciales para la sostenibilidad, innovación son revelados?Por los próximos tres años, estaremos invesitigando de forma empírica estas preguntas a través de una trabajo etnográfico de campo, con entrevistas a expertos que se centran específicamente en el problema y un análisis de contenido de los programas, los discursos públicos y las medidas de adaptación establecidas. #nisubweb
Hi there,
Societal knowledge about climate change (cc) is: 1. produced by scientific data to which politics refer. 2. it emerges through discourses on cc in the respective societies that are opening up margins for political decision making.Both variants dont need to be congruent.Science doesnt necessarily impact the public debate on cc.Vice versa, the public debate only partially refers to scientific criteria, but much more to the (media) communication of further variables like economic stability, social security, cultural ontologies, etc.Especially in the Global South, such variables that are defining the social realities of every-day-life might also marginalize the perception of cc when its addressed as a more abstract problem and not closely related to problems of everyday-life.Thus, although its possible, it´s not necessary to relate extreme weather like drought or cyclones to cc.Subproject2 examines societal struggles and discourses about cc in South Africa and Botswana.
El conocimiento social sobre cambio climático (cc) es,primeramente, producido por datos científicos a los que se remite la política.En segundo lugar,emerge a través de los discursos sobre el cc en las respectivas sociedades que están abriendo los márgenes para la toma de decisiones política.Ambas variantes no necesitan ser congruentes.La ciencia no necesariamente impacta el debate público sobre el cc.Al mismo tiempo, el debate público sólo se refiere parcialmente a criterios científicos, pero mucho más a la comunicación (en medios) de otras variables como la estabilidad económica, la seguridad social, las ontologías culturales, etc.Especialmente en países en desarrollo y economías emergentes, estas variables, que están definiendo las realidades sociales del día a día, también podrían marginalizar la percepción sobre el cc, cuando son abordadas como un problema abstracto y no como un problema cercano, relacionado a la vida cotidiana.Por ello, a pesar de que es posible, no es necesario relacionar eventos climáticos extremos como sequías o ciclones con el cc.El subproyecto examina las luchas sociales y el discurso sobre el cc en SA yBW.
partners:@my_nwu @university_of_botswana_src #nisubweb
Hi there,
Societal knowledge about climate change (cc) is: 1. produced by scientific data to which politics refer. 2. it emerges through discourses on cc in the respective societies that are opening up margins for political decision making.Both variants dont need to be congruent.Science doesnt necessarily impact the public debate on cc.Vice versa, the public debate only partially refers to scientific criteria, but much more to the (media) communication of further variables like economic stability, social security, cultural ontologies, etc.Especially in the Global South, such variables that are defining the social realities of every-day-life might also marginalize the perception of cc when its addressed as a more abstract problem and not closely related to problems of everyday-life.Thus, although its possible, it´s not necessary to relate extreme weather like drought or cyclones to cc.Subproject2 examines societal struggles and discourses about cc in South Africa and Botswana.
El conocimiento social sobre cambio climático (cc) es,primeramente, producido por datos científicos a los que se remite la política.En segundo lugar,emerge a través de los discursos sobre el cc en las respectivas sociedades que están abriendo los márgenes para la toma de decisiones política.Ambas variantes no necesitan ser congruentes.La ciencia no necesariamente impacta el debate público sobre el cc.Al mismo tiempo, el debate público sólo se refiere parcialmente a criterios científicos, pero mucho más a la comunicación (en medios) de otras variables como la estabilidad económica, la seguridad social, las ontologías culturales, etc.Especialmente en países en desarrollo y economías emergentes, estas variables, que están definiendo las realidades sociales del día a día, también podrían marginalizar la percepción sobre el cc, cuando son abordadas como un problema abstracto y no como un problema cercano, relacionado a la vida cotidiana.Por ello, a pesar de que es posible, no es necesario relacionar eventos climáticos extremos como sequías o ciclones con el cc.El subproyecto examina las luchas sociales y el discurso sobre el cc en SA yBW.
partners:@my_nwu @university_of_botswana_src #nisubweb
Say hello to Maike Baader and Diana Jiménez Restrepo!
Montane cloud forests and the paramo (tropical alpine vegetation in the Andes) above are increasingly recognised by society and politics in Colombia as important areas for regulating water resources and storing carbon. At the same time, large areas in both ecosystems are intensively used for potato farming and cattle grazing, as well as mining, and are highly degraded, jeopardising water security, especially in times of increased rainfall unpredictability. In response, different entities (e.g. local communities, NGOs and government institutions) are working to restore the ecological functions of these ecosystems through ecological restoration efforts. In this project we ask how such “nature-based solutions” are organised, what knowledge dynamics are involved, how successful they are in restoring ecological functions, and what societal effects they have.
Les presentamos a Maike Baader y a Diana Jiménez Restrepo! La importancia del bosque nuboso montano y el páramo ha ido incrementando en su reconocimiento tanto por la sociedad como la política colombiana por su relevancia como areas de regulación de los recursos hídricos y para el almacenamiento de carbón. Al mismo tiempo, largas áreas en ambos ecosistemas son utilizandas de forma intensiva para el cultivo de la papa y la ganadería, así como para la explotación minera. Estas areas están degradadadas, y ello pone en jaque la seguridad del suminstro de agua especialemente en tiempos donde se está incrementando la imprevisibilida de lluvia. Como respuesta a esta situación, diferentes entidades (e.g. comunidades locales, ONGs e instituciones de gobierno) están trabajando en restaurar las funciones ecológicas a través de esfuerzos ecológicos para la restauración de paisajes. En este proyecto nos preguntamos cómo es que este tipo de "soluciones naturales" se organizan, cuál es la dinámica para el desarrollo (gestión) del conocimiento que es involucrada, qué tan exitosas son estas soluciones para restaurar las funciones ecológicas, y cuáles son los efectos sociales que tienen.
Collaborations: @instituto_humboldt @unbogota @unimagdalena #nisubweb
📸 Di
Say hello to Maike Baader and Diana Jiménez Restrepo!
Montane cloud forests and the paramo (tropical alpine vegetation in the Andes) above are increasingly recognised by society and politics in Colombia as important areas for regulating water resources and storing carbon. At the same time, large areas in both ecosystems are intensively used for potato farming and cattle grazing, as well as mining, and are highly degraded, jeopardising water security, especially in times of increased rainfall unpredictability. In response, different entities (e.g. local communities, NGOs and government institutions) are working to restore the ecological functions of these ecosystems through ecological restoration efforts. In this project we ask how such “nature-based solutions” are organised, what knowledge dynamics are involved, how successful they are in restoring ecological functions, and what societal effects they have.
Les presentamos a Maike Baader y a Diana Jiménez Restrepo! La importancia del bosque nuboso montano y el páramo ha ido incrementando en su reconocimiento tanto por la sociedad como la política colombiana por su relevancia como areas de regulación de los recursos hídricos y para el almacenamiento de carbón. Al mismo tiempo, largas áreas en ambos ecosistemas son utilizandas de forma intensiva para el cultivo de la papa y la ganadería, así como para la explotación minera. Estas areas están degradadadas, y ello pone en jaque la seguridad del suminstro de agua especialemente en tiempos donde se está incrementando la imprevisibilida de lluvia. Como respuesta a esta situación, diferentes entidades (e.g. comunidades locales, ONGs e instituciones de gobierno) están trabajando en restaurar las funciones ecológicas a través de esfuerzos ecológicos para la restauración de paisajes. En este proyecto nos preguntamos cómo es que este tipo de "soluciones naturales" se organizan, cuál es la dinámica para el desarrollo (gestión) del conocimiento que es involucrada, qué tan exitosas son estas soluciones para restaurar las funciones ecológicas, y cuáles son los efectos sociales que tienen.
Collaborations: @instituto_humboldt @unbogota @unimagdalena #nisubweb
📸 Di
nisansa disciplines
We are taking over now: It´s time to introduce subproject 5!🎉
Our subproject approaches research both from political/social science (Stefan’s expertise) and an anthropological perspective (Julia’s speciality). Let’s dive a little bit more into what Julia is actually doing, as she will share her experiences from her research in Ecuador over the next 4 weeks here.
As an anthropologist, Julia is often asked what that actually means. Do you have heard of it before?
At its most general definition, anthropology can be described as the "study of human societies and cultures […]. It includes social and material relationships, and patterns of meaning” (Pedersen & Cligett, 2021, p. 1). What anthropologists are trying to understand is the whole of human experience. As you can imagine this means many things: from studying the social organization (in politics, family, communities, …), rituals and religion, human-nature relations to doing economy – it is all of interest for this broad, holisitic perspective. Before drawing more general conclusions, anthropologists try to describe, analyse and reflect in much detail what is going on in “the field”, that is to say, the place of their research: a community, an institution, a company, or maybe something more abstract like a supply chain or the route of migration flows. All of this happens under constant self-reflection; critical thinking is key as well as considering relations of power such as gender, race and class (ib., p. 2).
To live up to this purpose, Julia draws on ethnography and participant observation as methods. This means doing research with the people in “the field”: sharing with them, participating in everyday life activities and observing social practices and institutional proceedings over several months. There is no panacea for doing ethnography: it is not a linear process of answering your research question as a lot depends on the people you are working with on-site. What is interesting for them? What do they want to talk about? Probably your initial research question and focus will change over the course of the research as you are starting to understand better the reality of the place and the people there.
We are taking over now: It´s time to introduce subproject 5!🎉
Our subproject approaches research both from political/social science (Stefan’s expertise) and an anthropological perspective (Julia’s speciality). Let’s dive a little bit more into what Julia is actually doing, as she will share her experiences from her research in Ecuador over the next 4 weeks here.
As an anthropologist, Julia is often asked what that actually means. Do you have heard of it before?
At its most general definition, anthropology can be described as the "study of human societies and cultures […]. It includes social and material relationships, and patterns of meaning” (Pedersen & Cligett, 2021, p. 1). What anthropologists are trying to understand is the whole of human experience. As you can imagine this means many things: from studying the social organization (in politics, family, communities, …), rituals and religion, human-nature relations to doing economy – it is all of interest for this broad, holisitic perspective. Before drawing more general conclusions, anthropologists try to describe, analyse and reflect in much detail what is going on in “the field”, that is to say, the place of their research: a community, an institution, a company, or maybe something more abstract like a supply chain or the route of migration flows. All of this happens under constant self-reflection; critical thinking is key as well as considering relations of power such as gender, race and class (ib., p. 2).
To live up to this purpose, Julia draws on ethnography and participant observation as methods. This means doing research with the people in “the field”: sharing with them, participating in everyday life activities and observing social practices and institutional proceedings over several months. There is no panacea for doing ethnography: it is not a linear process of answering your research question as a lot depends on the people you are working with on-site. What is interesting for them? What do they want to talk about? Probably your initial research question and focus will change over the course of the research as you are starting to understand better the reality of the place and the people there.
Hello everyone! It`s been a bit quiet on our account lately, but that doesn`t mean we`ve gone into full hibernation 😴
We hope you were able to enjoy the pre-Christmas season a bit - it is rumoured that mulled wine and Christmas cookies contribute to that! 🍪🍷
Next month you will get some insights into the different subprojects. From information about the respective disciplines to insights into (current) field research - a broad spectrum awaits you, which will hopefully be as exciting for you as it is for us :).
This month, subproject 7 will take over our account.
As you may know, we are a multidisciplinary research project. SP7 comes from sociology. For all of you who don`t know what sociology actually does and how it can enrich climate (change) research, we would like to briefly introduce our discipline here.
Sociology is a social science "that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them. It does this by examining the dynamics of constituent parts of societies such as institutions, communities, populations, and gender, racial, or age groups. Sociology also studies social status or stratification, social movements, and social change, as well as societal disorder in the form of crime, deviance, and revolution" (Faris & Form, 2022).
🌍🍃
What can sociology contribute to climate change-related research? Well, by viewing this topic through a sociological lens, it can be ensured that climate change in its complexity and its multiple dimensions can be addressed more holistically. Besides, a sociological perspective highlights that climate change is not only a mere hard scientific issue but need to be understood as an interwoven interplay of multiple actors with different interest and different cultural and societal conditions; this is, the social dimension must be considered in the climate change discourse that has especially been (epistemological) dominated by a technical-economic perspective and the feasibility and costs of adaptation strategies and technologies in several frameworks (e.g. IPCC reports II and III) in the past decades (Conrad, 2008: 3083).
Hello everyone! It`s been a bit quiet on our account lately, but that doesn`t mean we`ve gone into full hibernation 😴
We hope you were able to enjoy the pre-Christmas season a bit - it is rumoured that mulled wine and Christmas cookies contribute to that! 🍪🍷
Next month you will get some insights into the different subprojects. From information about the respective disciplines to insights into (current) field research - a broad spectrum awaits you, which will hopefully be as exciting for you as it is for us :).
This month, subproject 7 will take over our account.
As you may know, we are a multidisciplinary research project. SP7 comes from sociology. For all of you who don`t know what sociology actually does and how it can enrich climate (change) research, we would like to briefly introduce our discipline here.
Sociology is a social science "that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them. It does this by examining the dynamics of constituent parts of societies such as institutions, communities, populations, and gender, racial, or age groups. Sociology also studies social status or stratification, social movements, and social change, as well as societal disorder in the form of crime, deviance, and revolution" (Faris & Form, 2022).
🌍🍃
What can sociology contribute to climate change-related research? Well, by viewing this topic through a sociological lens, it can be ensured that climate change in its complexity and its multiple dimensions can be addressed more holistically. Besides, a sociological perspective highlights that climate change is not only a mere hard scientific issue but need to be understood as an interwoven interplay of multiple actors with different interest and different cultural and societal conditions; this is, the social dimension must be considered in the climate change discourse that has especially been (epistemological) dominated by a technical-economic perspective and the feasibility and costs of adaptation strategies and technologies in several frameworks (e.g. IPCC reports II and III) in the past decades (Conrad, 2008: 3083).
nisansa experiences
In the last posts, we talked about field experiences in the project. We hope you got a little better insight when it comes to data collection abroad, i.e. our empirical research phases.
But of course, we are not "in the field" for 12 months - and maybe some of you are wondering what we actually do when we are not travelling the world.
In fact, an incredible amount of the project work is done on the laptop - office work, in other words (picture two shows the office in Giessen. Three of the 7 subprojects are located here - the other four are based in Marburg).
Here are a few tasks that are part of the "daily business" in NISANSA, for instance, of SP7:
- reading, reading, reading 📖
- Doing a lot of research🔍
- Emails, emails, emails 📧
- Correspondence with (international) cooperation partners, colleagues, etc.
- Writing articles/papers 📝
- Applying to conference
- Preparing presentations for conferences, etc.
- Applying to other things (for example, to raise other funds)
- Data preparation
- Data analysis with different software 💻
- Having many (digital) meetings 🤝
- Exchanging ideas with colleagues and subprojects 💭
- Meetings in persona (symposia, conferences etc)
- Organizing and preparing business trips (internationally, this always means: obtaining research approval, going through ethical committees, and taking care of visas and research permits)
- Budget calculation and monitoring 💰
- Drawing up contracts (work contracts, fellowships) for cooperation partners
- delegating tasks in the project
....and so on and so forth.
#nisansaexperiences
#sociology
#climatechange
#climatechangeresearch
#research
#nisansa
#unigiessen
#unimarburg
#africa
#socialsciences
#socialscience
#researchproject
#fieldwork
#southernafrica
#office
#work
#laptopwork
#workathome
In the last posts, we talked about field experiences in the project. We hope you got a little better insight when it comes to data collection abroad, i.e. our empirical research phases.
But of course, we are not "in the field" for 12 months - and maybe some of you are wondering what we actually do when we are not travelling the world.
In fact, an incredible amount of the project work is done on the laptop - office work, in other words (picture two shows the office in Giessen. Three of the 7 subprojects are located here - the other four are based in Marburg).
Here are a few tasks that are part of the "daily business" in NISANSA, for instance, of SP7:
- reading, reading, reading 📖
- Doing a lot of research🔍
- Emails, emails, emails 📧
- Correspondence with (international) cooperation partners, colleagues, etc.
- Writing articles/papers 📝
- Applying to conference
- Preparing presentations for conferences, etc.
- Applying to other things (for example, to raise other funds)
- Data preparation
- Data analysis with different software 💻
- Having many (digital) meetings 🤝
- Exchanging ideas with colleagues and subprojects 💭
- Meetings in persona (symposia, conferences etc)
- Organizing and preparing business trips (internationally, this always means: obtaining research approval, going through ethical committees, and taking care of visas and research permits)
- Budget calculation and monitoring 💰
- Drawing up contracts (work contracts, fellowships) for cooperation partners
- delegating tasks in the project
....and so on and so forth.
#nisansaexperiences
#sociology
#climatechange
#climatechangeresearch
#research
#nisansa
#unigiessen
#unimarburg
#africa
#socialsciences
#socialscience
#researchproject
#fieldwork
#southernafrica
#office
#work
#laptopwork
#workathome
... we continue with some more impressions from our data collection phases - this time from Namibia! 🇳🇦
Namibia is a country in southwestern Africa and besides Malawi the other country we are conducting research in subproject 7.
In 2022, Sara was in Namibia from April to early June, conducting expert interviews as well as painting and essay competitions in schools. 🏫🎒 The students were asked, for example, what they understand by climate change, who is most affected by it, what are the causes, etc. 🖌️🎨📝
Extremely fascinating results came out of it, which we are currently analyzing.
In this post, you can see some photographic impressions of the competitions (of course there were prizes for the first three winners!😉)
Carousel 1 +2: Acacia High School - Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia
Carousel 3: Ruacana, Northern Namibia, Mobile Classroom
Carousel 4: Paintings ("What does climate change mean to you?" and "Who or what is causing climate change?"
(📸credit: Lüttich, 2022)
#nisansaexperiences
#sociology
#climatechange
#climatechangeresearch
#research
#nisansa
#unigiessen
#unimarburg
#africa
#socialsciences
#socialscience
#researchproject
#fieldwork
#namibia
#painting
#essay
#competition
#school
... we continue with some more impressions from our data collection phases - this time from Namibia! 🇳🇦
Namibia is a country in southwestern Africa and besides Malawi the other country we are conducting research in subproject 7.
In 2022, Sara was in Namibia from April to early June, conducting expert interviews as well as painting and essay competitions in schools. 🏫🎒 The students were asked, for example, what they understand by climate change, who is most affected by it, what are the causes, etc. 🖌️🎨📝
Extremely fascinating results came out of it, which we are currently analyzing.
In this post, you can see some photographic impressions of the competitions (of course there were prizes for the first three winners!😉)
Carousel 1 +2: Acacia High School - Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia
Carousel 3: Ruacana, Northern Namibia, Mobile Classroom
Carousel 4: Paintings ("What does climate change mean to you?" and "Who or what is causing climate change?"
(📸credit: Lüttich, 2022)
#nisansaexperiences
#sociology
#climatechange
#climatechangeresearch
#research
#nisansa
#unigiessen
#unimarburg
#africa
#socialsciences
#socialscience
#researchproject
#fieldwork
#namibia
#painting
#essay
#competition
#school
"I am in the field" or "I am doing field work".
These are statements you may have read or heard before in statements about our research project or in other research-related contexts.
But - what exactly is meant by this?
Each of our projects has "field research" phases or empirical phases. In other words, phases that are weeks or months in which we are abroad (in these projects) collecting data.
In many research contexts, this is paraphrased as "going into the field." Thus, leaving the desk - and because SP7 comes from sociology: Interactions with a lot of people - interviews, surveys, discussions or even workshops, essay contests etc...
In this post, we show you some impressions from the recent empirical phase of SP7 in Malawi. 🇲🇼
Sara visited Malawi in November and December 2022 and conducted (partly with their cooperation partner LEAD Malawi) individual interviews and focus group discussions with smallholder farmers and fishermen in Malawi.
In the next following post, you will see impressions from Namibia!🇳🇦
Carousel 1: Since not all interviewees are literate, fingerprints are used as signatures (for consent forms). Here near Zomba, Malawi
Carousel 2: Above: deforestation in Malawi, near Blantyre. Bottom left: A house in a village near Zomba. Bottom right: A farmer in urban Blantyre growing maize and tomatoes.
Carousel 3: Above (from left to right): Visiting villages located in flood prone areas - interviewing a woman and her seven children in Zomba District - hospitality in Malawi, being invited to eat nzima (maize porridge) and egg after an interview. Below: View from a village to the mountain next to it, which suffers a lot from deforestation.
Carousel 4: Part of the data collection phase with colleagues from LEAD (cooperation partner in Malawi). Especially in rural areas, it is common for women to wear skirts made of chitenje (local fabric) or skirts that go over the knees.
📸 Lüttich, 2022
#nisansaexperiences
#sociology
#climatechange
#climatechangeresearch
#research
#nisansa
#unigiessen
#unimarburg
#africa
#socialsciences
#socialscience
#researchproject
#fieldwork
#malawi
#zomba
#blantyre
#farmers
#smallholderfamers
#nzima
#villages
"I am in the field" or "I am doing field work".
These are statements you may have read or heard before in statements about our research project or in other research-related contexts.
But - what exactly is meant by this?
Each of our projects has "field research" phases or empirical phases. In other words, phases that are weeks or months in which we are abroad (in these projects) collecting data.
In many research contexts, this is paraphrased as "going into the field." Thus, leaving the desk - and because SP7 comes from sociology: Interactions with a lot of people - interviews, surveys, discussions or even workshops, essay contests etc...
In this post, we show you some impressions from the recent empirical phase of SP7 in Malawi. 🇲🇼
Sara visited Malawi in November and December 2022 and conducted (partly with their cooperation partner LEAD Malawi) individual interviews and focus group discussions with smallholder farmers and fishermen in Malawi.
In the next following post, you will see impressions from Namibia!🇳🇦
Carousel 1: Since not all interviewees are literate, fingerprints are used as signatures (for consent forms). Here near Zomba, Malawi
Carousel 2: Above: deforestation in Malawi, near Blantyre. Bottom left: A house in a village near Zomba. Bottom right: A farmer in urban Blantyre growing maize and tomatoes.
Carousel 3: Above (from left to right): Visiting villages located in flood prone areas - interviewing a woman and her seven children in Zomba District - hospitality in Malawi, being invited to eat nzima (maize porridge) and egg after an interview. Below: View from a village to the mountain next to it, which suffers a lot from deforestation.
Carousel 4: Part of the data collection phase with colleagues from LEAD (cooperation partner in Malawi). Especially in rural areas, it is common for women to wear skirts made of chitenje (local fabric) or skirts that go over the knees.
📸 Lüttich, 2022
#nisansaexperiences
#sociology
#climatechange
#climatechangeresearch
#research
#nisansa
#unigiessen
#unimarburg
#africa
#socialsciences
#socialscience
#researchproject
#fieldwork
#malawi
#zomba
#blantyre
#farmers
#smallholderfamers
#nzima
#villages