6.9. Sandlund
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Keynote Presentations from the 1st ALTER-Net Summer School, Peyresq 27 August - 8 September 2006
Speaker: Odd Terje Sandlund
odd.t.sandlund -at- nina.no
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Tungasletta 2, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
Title of the talk: Ecosystems and human well-being - The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Global thinking vs. local issues, or: “What may the rural poor in developing countries think about all this?” (pdf: 10MB)
Summary of the talk by Ulrike Talkner: Students´ summary (pdf)
Abstract
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) stresses the services provided by functioning ecosystems and the fundamental importance of these services for human well-being. This talk will present some of the central concepts in the MA and in particular the concept “human well-being”. Although the MA provides a relatively objective definition, this concept will mean different things to different people and in different societies. The relative nature of the concept will be discussed, and the contrast between the “rich north” and the “poor south” will be pointed out. To illustrate the regional level, some of the major results from the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) will be presented, and some of the dilemmas between economic development (poverty alleviation) and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems discussed. Finally, the case of the Serengeti/Mara system of Tanzania and Kenya is presented as an example of the dilemmas seen at the local level.
Recommended background literature on this presentation:
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Biggs R, Bohensky E, Desanker PV, Fabricius C, Lynam T, Misselhorn AA, Musvoto C, Mutale M, Reyers B, Scholes RJ, Shikongo S, van Jaarsveld AS (2004) Nature supporting people. The Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Integrated report. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa. SAfMA Integrated Report at http://www.maweb.org/en/subglobal.safma.aspx (pdf: 4MB)
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Gereta EJ (2004) Transboundary water issues threaten the Serengeti ecosystem. Oryx 38: 14-15.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/
- Homewood K, Lambin EF, Coast E, Kariuki A, Kikula I, Kivelia J, Said M, Serneels S, Thompson M (2001) Long-term changes in Serengeti-Mara wildebeest and land cover: Pastoralism, populations, or policies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 98: 12544-12549. http://www.jstor.org/
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Kaltenborn BP, Nyahongo JW, Tingstad KM (2005) The nature of hunting around the Western Corridor of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. European Journal of Wildlife Research.doi:10.1007/s10344-005-0109-9
- Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis. – Island Press, Washington, DC 137p. http://www.maweb.org/en/products.aspx
