Conversations about Conservation
Everybody agrees that tackling conservation challenges requires work across disciplines. The Conservation Research Institute is designed with this in mind, bringing together staff and students from multiple different departments, many in a shared space within the David Attenborough Building. However, working in a shared space does not guarantee that interdisciplinarity is taking place. It is easy to slip into the habit of talking about research only with colleagues from the same group or discipline - particularly when conversations across disciplines can be challenging because of different terminology, framings and underlying values.
To address some of these issues, we are relaunching a series of informal Conversations about Conservation as part of the CRI Early Career Researcher programme this year. These are designed to bring people together in a spirit of open enquiry to explore issues that bridge our different disciplinary perspectives. The approach builds on a model first tested in Cambridge over 15 years ago, and recently published in the attached paper. We will be joined by Ivan Scales, one of the authors of the paper, for the opening session, at which we aim to agree on some principles and plan for the rest of the year. Future sessions are likely to focus on a specific topic, with a short paper to read in advance.
Please do sign up using this form to come along to the first session on November 14th at 1pm in the MPhil in Conservation Leadership teaching room (3rd floor in the East Tower). It would be helpful if you could read this paper in advance, but not essential. We welcome anyone to attend, including colleagues from all CCI partner organisations.
Ivan Scales is the Sir Harvey McGrath College Associate Professor, and Director of Studies in Geography, at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.
Photo by Birendra Padmaperuma on Unsplash, Yala National Park, Sri Lanka