We cordially invite you to participate in this exciting online four-part series on Human-Wildlife Interactions!

Purpose
The purpose of the series is to facilitate cross-campus conversations and collaborations at WUR on human-wildlife interactions (HWIs) as they relate to broader issues of biodiversity loss and transformative change.

Throughout the series we will explore how people at WUR engage with questions on HWIs, how they grapple with questions of broader societal significance, and how they may support deeper learning and transformative change. There will be a strong emphasis on diversity of speakers (geographical focus, cultural perspectives, race, gender, career stage, discipline, science group, etc.) and on inclusive discussions.

Organizers
Sierra Deutsch, Josie Chambers, Kate Massarella, Bram Büscher, Liesje Mommer, & Jeanne Nel

Schedule
Each session will run for two hours online on a Thursday from 12:00-14:00. The first 60 minutes will be dedicated to speakers and the remainder will be dedicated to discussions guided by a trained facilitator.

Session I: Introduction| January 7, 12:00-14:00 | ‘Wild’ ideas: Biodiversity, human-wildlife interactions, and transformative change
This session will be an introduction to the series. We will start with a conceptualization of the idea of transformative change, why biodiversity and its relation with people plays a major role in this, and why we chose to focus on human-wildlife interactions. We will explain the purpose of the series and researchers from across WUR will be invited to speak to the importance of exploring and understanding HWIs with respect to biodiversity and transformative change.

Speakers: Malik Dasoo (MSc student, International Land & Water Management), Tania Eulalia Martinez-Cruz (Anthropology/Public Health/Development Studies at University of Greenwich; recent PhD graduate, Knowledge, Technology & Innovation, SSG), Solen le Clech’ (Environmental Systems Analysis, ESG), Ananda Siddhartha (Sociology of Development & Change, SSG), Nowella Anyango-van Zwieten (Forest & Nature Conservation Policy, ESG), Mirte Bosse (Animal Breeding & Genomics, ASG), Sander Koenraadt (Medical & Veterinary Entomology, PSG)

Session II | January 14, 12:00-14:00 | ‘Wild’ ideas: Exploring diverse approaches to understanding human-wildlife interactions
In this session we will explore what people across WUR are researching with respect to HWIs.

Speakers: Liesbeth Bakker (Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, ESG), Lerato Thakholi (PhD student, Soc of Development & Change, SSG), Marc Naguib (Behavioural Ecology, ASG), Katell Hamon (Wageningen Economic Research)

Session III | January 28, 12:00-14:00 | ‘Wild’ ideas: Putting diverse research on human-wildlife interactions into action
In this session we will explore different perspectives on the role of research to actually influence human-wildlife interactions in policy and practice – through a range of approaches being taken at WUR.

Speakers: Valentina Fiasco (recent MSc graduate, Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, ESG), Maarten Jacobs (Cultural Geography, ESG), Lysanne Snijders (Behavioural Ecology, ASG), Rob Fletcher (Soc of Development & Change, SSG)

Session IV | February 4, 12:00-14:00 | ‘Wild’ ideas: Mapping a way forward for human-wildlife interactions
In this session the organizers will reflect on the previous three sessions and all attendees will be invited to assist in mapping a way forward to keep conversations and collaborations on HWIs going at WUR and beyond.

You can register for a single session or the whole series by sending an email to wass@wur.nl, please mention your email address and the session number(s) you want to join. You will receive the MS Teams link about a week before the session. If you have any questions about the series purpose or content please contact Sierra Deutsch at: sierra.deutsch@wur.nl. If you have any questions about registration please contact wass@wur.nl.