Forschung

Swiss National Science Foundation

• its scope
• its objectives
• its priority issues of debate
• its publications
• its persons in charge
• its main insight gained - in brief (file)

events

• Workshop Solothurn/Switzerland (29 November - 3 Dezember)

The "Discussion Forum" constitutes a place (and a process) of exchange and co-ordination of joint efforts. It is based on the underlying assumption that the joint learning process provides for the integration of innovative approaches in policy development, both in Switzerland and in areas of concern in South Asia, Eastern and Western Africa. Genuine exchange among researchers of different origin requires specification of interest and contributions by each and every one participating. In particular, partners in the South are to participate on their own authority. Debate exclusively among Northerners that substitute their colleagues from the South must be avoided. Moreover, through involvement of persons in charge of policy development, an effective transfer of research results can be fostered. The organisational structure of the discussion forum requires the broadest possible support by relevant and interested research groups. The open character of the forum will determine the high level of recognition it requires within the scientific community, i.e. vis-à-vis the SNSF and other funding agencies.

"towards greater collaborative networking"

its scope (back to top of page)

• Linkages between strategies and instruments that aim to reduce constraints on environmentally responsible action at the community level
• Innovative institutional arrangements, both in rural and urban environments.

its objectives (back to top of page)

• the academic dimension
  to provide for enhanced, comparative and differentiated insight into the circumstances and prerequisites of environmentally responsible action and strategies for promoting such action;
• the policy dimension
  to provide for effective exchange of experiences in policy and strategy development and implementation under different socio-cultural, political and economic conditions, and to promote corresponding transfer of experiences by involving the respective actors;
• the institutional dimension
  to provide for an efficient exchange and co-ordination of social scientific approaches to sustainable development, and to assume the corresponding facilitating function;
• the methodological dimension
  to enhance and facilitate a discussion process among various groups of researchers and institutions; to synthesise the experiences gained on both the topical and methodological levels.
  

its priority issues of debate (back to top of page)

• Participatory approaches in local resource (and conflict) management: understanding of participation, stakeholders/actors; conditions of success; role of research
• Sustainable resource management: the role of knowledge production and reproduction in the process of innovation and adaptation

its persons in charge (back to top of page)

• Interdisciplinary Centre for General Ecology, University of Berne
  • Prof. Ruth Kaufmann - Hayoz
  • Dr. Manuel Flury (Moderation)
  • Heidi Hofmann (Secretariat)
• INFRAS Zurich
  • Dr. Samuel Mauch
  • Nicole North
• Centre for Development and Environment, Institute of Geography, University of Berne
  • Prof. Hans Hurni

its publications (back to top of page)

Basic Documents

Cissé, Guéladio 1998:
Partnership in Local Resource Management. The Stakeholder Approach.
Contribution of the SPPE Project Group "Urban Environmental Management" to the SPPE Discussion Forum North-South. Discussion Forum North-South. Basic Documents Nr. 1. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern

Charlot Zinsli, Sandrine 1998:
Participatory Local Resource Management. The Experience of SPPE Projects.
Discussion Forum North-South. Basic Documents Nr. 2. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

Baechler, Günther 1999:
Transformation of Resource Conflicts. Approach and Instruments. Contribution of the SPPE Project ECOMAN "Environmental Conflict Management" to the SPPE Discussion Forum North-South. Discussion Forum North-South. Basic Documents Nr. 3. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

Bisaz, Arianna/Lutz, Marionna 1999:
Knowledge Management in Domestic Roof Catchment Projects. Aspects of Two Case Studies with Self-Help Groups in Laikipia District, Kenya
Discussion Forum North-South. Basic Documents Nr. 4. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

Geiser, Urs 1999:
Towards Insights from SPPE Projects on how Innovative Knowledge is Emerging, Accepted, and Used to Change Natural Resurce Management Practices into Sustainable Directions
Discussion Forum North-South. Basic Documents Nr. 5. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

Flury, Manuel 1999:
Participation in Local Resource and Conflict Management.
Discussion Forum North-South. Basic Documents Nr. 6. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

R. Baumgartner, G.S. Aurora, G.K. Karanth and V. Ramaswamy 2000:
Participatory Research on Rural Livelihood: Sharing Research Findings for Local Empowerment?
Basic Documents Nr. 7. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

Künzi, Erwin (in prep.):
Transdisciplinarity in the Laikipia Research Programme. Research and Co-operation for Sustainable Development in a Semi-arid Regional Context in Kenya.
Basic Documents Nr. 8. Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie, Universität Bern.

"Themenheft SPPU"

Flury, M./Kaufmann-Hayoz, R./Hurni, H./North, N. (in prep.): Local Environmental Management in a North-South Perspective. Issues of Participation and Knowledge Management. Swiss Priority Programme Environment. Themenhefte. Bern.

Other Documents

Heeb, J./Roux, M. 1999:
Platforming to Promote Sustainable Development at Local Level.
First European Experience Sharing on Participatory Learning and Action. 23rd-27th November 1999. Schönengrund/Switzerland.

Geiser, U 1999:
Reading 'participation in forest management' through 'modern' and 'post-modern' concepts, or: From where to start normative debates?
XVIII Congress of the European Society for Rural Sociology. 24 - 28 August 1999. Lund/Sweden.

Dürrenberger, G./Behringer, J. 1999:
Focus Groups as Participatory Assessment Technique.
EAWAG Dübendorf.

Dürrenberger, G./Ratti, R. 1999:
Neue Herausforderungen an die politische Konsenssuche.
EAWAG Dübendorf.

Eggmann Berschart, C. 1999:
Actors, Stakeholders and Participation. Terminological Assumptions Querried.
Manuscript. Basel

its events (back to top of page)

Workshop of the Discussion Forum North-South

Solothurn, 29 November - 3 December 1999

The purpose of this workshop was

• to summarise and to consolidate the discussions held so far,
• to formulate specific messages and to exchange them with end-users and
• to evaluate the Discussion Forum as such.

The workshop brought together (invited) researchers, both from the South and from Switzerland, and representatives from Swiss communities, NGOs, media and from organisations involved in development co-operation.
List of participants.

The overall goal of the workshop was to draw conclusions of the findings carried out by SPPE-projects in North and South with respect to the main scope of the Discussion Forum i.e. innovative institutional arrangements for local environmental management and by this to contribute to sustainable environmental management at local level.

In particular:

- to review the discussions held and to summarise the related conclusions;
- to deduce conclusions/lessons (”messages”) of practical importance, e.g. conditions of successful (effective) environmental management at local level;
- to exchange such research output with end-users and to evaluate their applicability;
-  to collect feed-backs to the research systems, including further research requirements;

The workshop concentrated on the following two priority issues of the Discussion Forum:

(1)  Participatory approaches in local resource (and conflict) management: understanding of participation, stakeholders/actors; conditions of success; role of research
(2) Sustainable resource management: the role of knowledge production and reproduction in the process of innovation and adaptation

The programme included three parts:

• 2 days: researchers consolidated discussion on the two priority issues
• 1 day: researchers formulated messages, based on questions of practical importance (same text in german)
• 1 day: researchers and end-users reviewed insights gained, messages formulated and draw conclusions of practical importance

The proceedings consist of the following documents:

• Participation in resource an conflict management. A synthetical note.
• Annex to synthetical note: A synopsis of cases studied
• Knowledge management in the context of rural livelihoods: Minutes.
• Partizipation in der lokalen Umweltpolitik. Eine Zusammenfassung
• Participation and Knowledge Management in Natural Resource Management: Exchange
  between research and development co-operation: Note

The results of the debate will be published in

• practical notes
• a synthetical scientific publication (SPPU-Themenheft)

In addition, the insight gained will be subject of new training courses in continued education.

Interfakultäre Koordinationsstelle für Allgemeine Ökologie (IKAÖ) der Universität Bern (1988-2013)