The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) invites you to Cape Town, South Africa for the 8th World Conference on Ecological Restoration from September 22-27, 2019. The vent is jointly hosted with the South African Water Research Commission.
The conference will bring together colleagues from across Africa and around the world in this spectacular setting to discuss and debate the many issues and challenges inherent in planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring successful restoration programs in all biomes and on all continents.
The conference theme for SER2019 is “Restoring Land, Water & Community Resilience”. Inspired in part by the South African experience with Working for Water and related initiatives – which are among the best examples anywhere in the world of integrating ecological, economic, and social goals under one framework – the theme is intended to help keep discussion about developments in restoration research, practice, and policy focused on the big picture.
Projects large and small are typically most successful and have the greatest impact when goals are set from a landscape-level perspective and when socioeconomic and cultural dimensions are incorporated from the start. South Africa provides ample opportunity to see and hear inspiring stories of restoration work that combines outcomes for land, water, and community development simultaneously.
Conference sessions will be organized around a number of regionally and globally important sub-themes, and will include symposia, workshops, and open sessions, as well as plenary sessions and a dedicated poster session. One of the principal sub-themes of the program will focus on how ecological restoration can help improve water supply and water security – not only in a severely drought-impacted region like the Western Cape, but in ecosystems and landscapes all over the world as climate change and degradation increasingly threaten water resources.
Mid-week field trips and longer pre- and post-conference field trips will allow you to get out and see some of the restoration activities happening in the region, and of course behold some of South Africa’s world-famous landscapes.
Cape Town offers incredible opportunities to visit a wide variety of natural and cultural sites, including Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Robben Island, and the Winelands. It’s also the perfect starting point for a safari at Kruger National Park or a trip through Namaqualand.
Cape Town is a gateway to Africa for SER and for our colleagues all over the world, and we warmly welcome your participation at SER2019!
Photo of Cape Town via Adobe Stock.