November 2010

2010 Workshop on Gender Mainstreaming in Integrated Water Resources Development in the Lake Victoria Basin, East Africa
21 - 24 September, 2010
St. John's Guest House, Bugolobi-Kampala, Uganda

Following two successful workshops in 2009 CHEC and the Community based Impact Assessment Network for Eastern Africa (CIANEA) this Septempber hosted a third workshop under the leadership of Patricia Kabatabazi, a member of the CHEC Governing Board. This meeting brought back some of the 2009 trainees and had representatives from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania as well as from Uganda.

The workshop consisted of six modules which sought to emphasize the necessity of Gender Mainstreaming with Integrated Water Resources Development (IWRD); teach participants how to mainstream gender in their respective projects; and teach participants how they could themselves train others on how to deal with Gender Mainstreaming within IWRD.

The workshop also set out to evaluate the previous trainees, and it was very pleasing to find that the trainees from the previous workshops achieved grades of 60 - 70 %, they are improving as they gain experience through practice. At future workshops these trainees will become part of the CIANEA teams training others in their respective countries.

CHEC is very pleased to have been able to help support CIANEA with its Training of Trainers' project and it was very gratifying to hear that as a result of the September workshop Patricia Kabatabazi has been asked to facilitate another workshop on Gender Mainstreaming at Ndejje University in Kampala.

CHEC would like to thank the Commonwealth Foundation for providing an activity grant to support this third workshop and looks forward to supporting CIANEA workshops in the future.

A more detailed report on this workshop is contained in CHEC Points No.35 (pdf).

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November 2010

2010 Workshop on Tropical Rainforest Field Stations
29 - 30 June
Edinburgh, UK

CHEC is very pleased to report the success of the CHEC workshop on Tropical Rainforest Field Stations held in parallel with the 18th Commonwealth Forestry Conference in Edinburgh on 29th and 30th June, 2010.

The workshop succeeded in bringing together key practitioners and specialists who discussed the feasibility and effectiveness of using field centres for research, for training university and school students and for assisting the development of local communities. Participants also discussed the challenges facing field stations and how future co-operation should be used to help the work of field stations around the world.

Caryll Stephen, Chairman of CHEC's Board of Governors opened the meeting with a reminder of human dependence on natural systems and the need for us all to take responsibility for our impacts on the environment. The workshop which followed consisted of presentations about tropical rain forest field stations and a wide ranging discussion on Tuesday 29th June and a report to the Commonwealth Forestry Conference at a lunch-time meeting in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

CHEC thanks the Commonwealth Foundation for its support of the workshop. CHEC also thanks the Very Reverend Graham Forbes, Provost, St. Mary's Cathedral, Sarah Grotrian, and Eleanor Morris for their help and aid in Edinburgh.

A full report on the workshop is avaliable in CHEC Points No.34 (pdf).

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July 2009

2009 International Human Ecology Conference
29 June - 3 July
Manchester University, UK

Many thanks to all those who attended the International Conference on Human Ecology.

The Conference examined the status of, and current challenges facing, human ecology around the world.  It brought together as many as 150 scholars and practitioners associated with the study and practice of human ecology to demonstrate the relevance of the discipline, and its philosophy and applications, for the contemporary environment and for society.

The program included roundtable discussions, open forums and field trips (in and around Manchester along with the Peak District) for raising questions, exchanging ideas, and discussing issues or plans for the future of human ecology. 

Special thanks goes to the Commonwealth Foundation for enabling CHEC to bring delegates from its various Chapters.   CHEC was delighted to see members, old and new, from around the Commonwealth including Australia, India, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. 

A full report on the Conference is available in CHEC Points No.33 (pdf).

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