German Alumni Capacity Building, Networking and Partnership with Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries

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1 German Alumni Capacity Building, Networking and Partnership with Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries One of the main objectives of the University of Goettingen is international cooperation in research and education with Universities and Institutions of higher education from all over the world. As an interdisciplinary research cum teaching institute, the Centre for Nature Conservation is focused on training and education of students from developing countries, which are the regions of high biodiversity and high priority interest for nature conservation, in the practical aspects of natural resource management and nature conservation by tackling key problematic issues concerning rapid loss of biodiversity. In fulfillment of this objective, the Centre for Nature Conservation (CNC) in collaboration with the Centre for Tropical and Sub-tropical Agriculture and Forestry (CetSaF) at the University of Goettingen are now focused on capacity building amongst the practicing German Alumni through networking amongst various Universities in the developing tropics by organizing International Summer Schools and Subject-related Workshops. The Centre for Nature Conservation under the leadership of the Director Prof. Dr. Michael Muehlenberg along with Dr. J Slowik and Dr. M Pangau-Adam had organized the first Alumni workshop on Biodiversity and Conservation and Sustainable Use of Nature Resources in the Universitas Cenderawasih, West Papua, Indonesia, in the years 1999, 2001 and 2005 to be followed by the German Alumni Summer School on the theme Last Wilderness in Danger; Conservation Practices with a Multidisciplinary Approach at the same University in West Papua in 2007.The Alumni workshop Women beyond the Border, dealing with the gender aspects of environment and nature conservation was organized in 2006 by Dr. J Slowik and Dr. M Pangau-Adam, at the University of Cairo in Egypt. In 2008, an Alumni Workshop based on the theme Nature Conservation in Mongolia between Tradition, Buddhism, Transformation and Globalization was organized by Dr. J Slowik, Dr. K Barua and O Byambasuren at the National University of Mongolia in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia. In the year 2009, German Alumni Summer School was organized by Dr. J Slowik, Dr. M Pangau-Adam and Dr. K Barua at the Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, Indonesia on the theme Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity; Does nature conservation need new strategies?. The CNC is conducting the next German Alumni Summer School for 2010 in Lombok Islands, in

2 collaboration with Mataram University, Indonesia. The theme of this Summer School is Biodiversity Management and Tourism Development. SEAG, BIODICS & GAInBiNet (German Alumni Networking groups in developing countries) In the frame of South-East Asian Germany Alumni Network (SEAG), an Alumnispecialized group for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use (BIODICS) had been established during the alumni workshop in 2005 in West Papua, Indonesia. This group is open for interdisciplinary German Alumni who have keen interest and enthusiasm to make contribution on the issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. BIODICS cooperates closely with the Centre for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Forestry (CeTSaF). In May 2008, CeTSaF had organized a German Alumni Summer School on Managing Biodiversity in Developing Countries. One of the outcomes of this Alumni meeting was to establish the German Alumni International Biodiversity Network (GAInBiNet). During the Summer School in Manado 2009, organized by the CNC together with the CeTSAF, the Alumnispecialized group BIODICS was enlarged with new members from Malaysia, Philippines, India and this Alumni group was incorporated into the GAInBiNet. In August 2008 BIODICS was also presented in the DAAD-Evaluation of Tsunami Program in Goettingen and several members were involved. In continuation of the collaboration between the CNC and the CetSaF for education in the management of biodiversity and nature conservation, Alumni networking in the developing countries of the tropics is one of the prime focus of our future activities. The four year DAAD funded Quality Network Biodiversity Project will be jointly coordinated by the CNC and the CetSaF and is aimed at bringing together the practicing German Alumni into one scientific platform and coordinate research and education in the field of biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources. This project will also be aimed at facilitating the services of expertise from a multidisciplinary background between the University of Goettingen and the partner Universities from the developing countries.

3 Dr. Jolanta Slowik, Dr. Margaretha Pangau-Adam (Alumna-Indonesia) and Dr. Kamini Barua (Alumna-India) from the Centre for Nature Conservation in collaboration with the team of the Centre for Tropical and Sub-tropical Agriculture and Forestry (CetSaF), coordinated by Prof. Dr. Christoph Klein (Director, CeTSAF), Prof. Dr. Kerstin Wydra (Managing Director, CeTSAF) and Mrs. Ingrid Howe will conduct German Alumni summer school programs in the University of Göttingen (Germany) in 2010 and 2013, Central Luzon State University (Philippines) in 2011 and Sam Ratulangi University (Indonesia) in These programs will be targeted towards generating regional to international support concerning biodiversity conservation through a strong interdisciplinary approach. These programs will also facilitate new University partnerships between Germany and the developing countries, as well as strengthen the existing ones. The participants will have the opportunity to get information on new international developments and strategies on conservation of biodiversity taking into account both the political and economic incentives. With the support of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), the CNC under the leadership of the Department Conservation Biology has established a new programme called Subject-related Partnership with Cenderawasih University (UNCEN), Papua in The aim of this co-operation is to enhance the capacity building of Cenderawasih University, Papua, in the field of biodiversity research and integrated conservation. The scope of partnership covers exchange of professors, lectures, PhD and Master students, and joint research projects. CeTSAF and CNC also collaborates with the Göttingen Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology (GZBÖ) of which the mission is the promotion of interdisciplinary studies on biological diversity at a genetic, species and ecosystem level in both research and education, which will also be involved within the working schedule of the summer schools. It is vital for human society to realize the UNO 2010 goals to reduce biodiversity loss and DAAD- Quality Networking in Biodiversity will contribute towards the fulfillment of this objective.

4 DAAD President Stefan Hormuth and President of the National University of Mongolia, Tserensodnom Gantsog at the German Alumni Workshop on Globalisation, Tradition and Nature Conservation ( September, 2008) in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia Dr. Jolanta Slowik (centre left), Dr. Kamini Barua (centre right), Oyunsanaa Byambasuren (second from left) and Prof. P S Ramakrishnan (third from right) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (India) during the German Alumni Workshop at the National University of Mongolia, Ulan Bataar, Mongolia Director of Centre for Nature Conservation, Prof. Dr. Michael Mühlenberg (centre), Dr.J Slowik (second from right) and Dr. M Pangau- Adam (second from left) during the field excursion with the local people and participants of Summer school 2007 in Berap, North Papua

5 Dr. Souad El Dieb, Director of Women National Council (left) and Prof. Hala Aref (right), Coordinator of GEAR (Germany-Egypt-Arab Region Alumni Network) from the University of Cairo addressing the participants during the Alumni Workshop (2006) at the University of Cairo in Egypt. Dr. Karen von Juterzenka from DAAD-Jakarta and Prof. Dr. Jeany Sh. Polii-Mandang, Vice-Rector of Sam Ratulangi University with the participants at the German Alumni Summer School 2009 at Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia