Knowledge Cafe: Multi-disciplinary Discussion on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Research

11 Mar, 2016

One of the strategic goals of the capacity development efforts under the GIZ's CMPA project is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of coastal and marine biodiversity amongst key sectors and stakeholders to facilitate the co-creation of solutions for effective and sustainable management of coastal and marine protected areas.

Knowledge Café was organised by GIZ’s CMPA project in partnership with Caius Research Laboratory, St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, which provided a multi-disciplinary and cross sectoral platform to discuss future research and networking possibilities in coastal and marine biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

The context of the Knowledge Café was set by Dr. Rajendra D. Shinde (Vice Principal, St Xaviers College) and Dr. Neeraj Khera (Senior Technical Expert, GIZ). Mapping of the multi-disciplinary and cross-sector expertise in the beginning of the session, enabled in setting the foundation for discussions, as the respective experts provided their insights into the current issues in coastal and marine biodiversity management. Mr. N. Vasudevan (Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of the Mangrove Cell, Forest Department, Government of Maharashtra) shared the existing and planned research and development work being undertaken by the Maharashtra Forest Department on mangrove conservation, estuarine pollution, and coastal livelihoods.

Professor J. B. Mistry, Dean, Xavier Institute of Communication highlighted the work done by his institute on communicating the environmental issues. Professor Mistry emphasised “the valuable contributions by GIZ’s CMPA project in building a better understanding on coastal and marine biodiversity amongst media institutes, students and the faculty by introducing it in the mainstream curriculum.” Dr. Pradeep Mehta from the Earthwatch Institute India, elaborated on the need “to take the science to the citizens and reaping the benefits of public participation and involvement in monitoring the work on conservation and management of coastal and marine areas, thereby, making the entire process less time-consuming, less expensive and, labor intensive.” He also shared various examples and cases from his own work, as well as from different parts of the World, to underline how experts can use the support and involvement of citizen-science for conducting long term multidisciplinary research.

Dr Aeshita Mukherjee (Technical Expert, GIZ’s CMPA project) provided insights into the research issues that are urgently needed to understand traditional knowledge and sharing the benefits of biodiversity use with the local communities. Dr Neeraj Khera (Senior Technical Expert,GIZ's CMPA project) provided an overview of the work carried in the state of Gujarat by the CMPA project such as baseline studies on two coastal wetlands, awareness and communication efforts to engage key stakeholders in coastal and marine conservation work. Besides the inputs provided by the resource persons, the participants provided a snapshot of their research interests and ideas, and also formed multidisciplinary groups to further brainstorm over their joint research ideas.

The knowledge café resulted in several research ideas developed by multi-disciplinary teams of experts, which addressed the pressing issues and challenges in managing coastal and marine ecosystems, and biodiversity management. The CMPA project will facilitate further development of the research ideas by the faculty members and its application on the field. The participants found the knowledge café very innovative and enriching, and something to be carried out more often at their institutes. The ideas put forward by faculty members were truly diverse and multidisciplinary.

For more information please contact Dr. Neeraj Khera: neeraj.khera@giz.de

Photo credits: Xavier’s College, Xavier Institute of Communication