4th IGBP Congress
Sustainable Livelihoods in a Changing Earth System
Thanks to the financial support of all the sponsors and the invaluable collaboration from the Local Organising Committee and the South African Global Change Committee, the 4th IGBP Congress was held in the colourful city of Cape Town, South Africa, 5-9 May 2008. About 380 participants from 65 countries were welcomed to share their research and knowledge of global environmental change science and contribute to the development of IGBP’s scientific agenda for the period 2008-2013. South Africa was an excellent venue to help strengthen IGBP’s research and networking on development issues, crucial for developing countries all around the world. Many issues of direct relevance to civil society and the policy community were raised, identifying where IGBP work can better contribute towards developing sustainable pathways for mitigation, innovation and adaptation. A ‘Cape Town Declaration on Science for Environmental Sustainability’ was adopted on the last day. The Congress provided also the opportunity for the African Network for Earth System Science (AfricanNESS) to present its Science Plan and Implementation Strategy, which focuses on four top-level issues: food and nutritional security; water resources; health; and ecosystem integrity.
The agenda encompassed a large spectrum of types of meetings in parallel (2-day Scientific Steering Committee meetings of the IGBP core projects and 2-day National Committee discussions involving 52 countries) and of modes of communication. These started with plenary talks during a one-day African symposium, a second day with 21 working groups sessions with oral presentations as well as expert and public posters, and concluded with a half day of presentations and an ‘Advisory Panel’ which reviewed and recommended priorities for IGBP’s future directions.
Not only did the Congress allow specialists to come together in a very cross-cutting environment, but it created a venue for enhancing public outreach and impact. Local schools were invited to see a large display of public posters and interact with IGBP scientists.