Past Training Courses

The following are examples of courses and training sessions centred on biocultural diversity that GDF has organised in the past.

Plants, Livelihoods, and Community Conservation in the Kalahari
From 4 - 8 March 2009, representatives of indigenous peoples’ communities in southern Africa, particularly Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, participated in a workshop entitled “Plants, Livelihoods and Community Conservation in the Kalahari”.  GDF and the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) collaborated with the Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO) to conduct the workshop.  A full report from the 5-day workshop can be seen at: PLCC Report.

Learning Opportunity: Primer Course on Interactive Methods and Data Analysis in Biocultural Diversity
As part of the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Barcelona from 5 - 14 October 2008, GDF offered two short courses on interactive methods and data analysis in biocultural diversity, as part of the Learning Opportunities offered at the congress. These courses introduced participants to approaches to data gathering and analysis used in applied projects on biocultural diversity, ethnoecology and community-based conservation. The first course focused on community mapping (including pGIS and 3-D modeling) and participatory video, and the second course focused on cultural domain analysis methods and social surveys.

Urbanization and Ethnobiology in Amazonia
In the week leading up to the 11th International Congress of Ethnobiology from 14 – 21 June 2008, a course on ‘Understanding local livelihoods, knowledge and practices in changing environments: the case of urbanization in Amazonia' was held in Pucallpa, Peru.The organising institutions included GDF, the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation of Columbia University, Institute of Economic Botany of the New York Botanical Garden, and the Gobierno Regional de Ucayali. Financial support and scholarships were granted by the Christensen Fund.

Short Course on Research Methods in Ethnoecology
GDF, with financial support from the Christensen Fund, sponsored the participation of three colleagues from developing countries in the National Science Foundation-supported 'Short Course on Research Methods in Ethnoecology', from 30 July – 3 August 2007.  The grants covered round trip travel to Beaufort, North Carolina, accommodation, meals, local transportation, course fees and a book and software allowance.

Ethnoecology and Community-Based Conservation
In the week leading up to the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) 2007 annual meeting, GDF and the SCB's Social Science Working Group (SSWG) co-sponsored a course on 'Ethnoecology and Community-based Conservation', from 25 - 30 June, 2007 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. With financial support from the Christensen Fund, we awarded bursaries for course fees, bibliography, software, accommodation and meals during the course.

Biocultural Diversity Learning Network
Course participants are invited to be part of our Biocultural Diversity Learning Network (BDLN), joining the alumni of other courses that we have offered over the last ten years in diverse venues. In addition to organising more in-depth courses with selected professional societies and universities, BDLN is developing an Online Biocultural Diversity Learning Guide that is available to all participants and their colleagues.

The guide features (1) community and participatory video on observatories of biocultural diversity; (2) annotated bibliography and glossary from popular and scientific literature; (3) descriptions of methods with worked examples that demonstrate data analysis; (4) film guide with reviews of films and videos on contemporary issues; (5) PowerPoint presentations on policy institutions, initiatives and instruments; (6) PowerPoint lectures on contemporary issues in biocultural diversity; and (7) illustrated guides for use of data analysis software.