Announcement and Call for Abstracts

Kopf Alumni

International German Alumni Summer School Mongolia 2015
Large scale natural landscapes in Mongolia under the pressure of climate change and competition for land and resources

Ulan Bataar, Mongolia
14. - 21. June 2015
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Announcement and Call for Abstracts:

This International German Alumni Summer School will be organized by the Georg-August University of Göttingen, Germany (Institute of Geography - Departments of Cartography, GIS and Remote Sensing, and Department of Conservation Biology) within the frame of the DAAD Alumni program for developing countries. This program is financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the German government and co-hosted by the National University of Mongolia (NUM) and the NUM-ITC-UNESCO Remote Sensing and Space Science Laboratory, Ulan Bataar, Mongolia. The Summer School aims to provide a platform to scholars, academicians, practitioners and entrepreneurs to share their knowledge and experiences from diverse disciplines ranging from natural and social sciences to humanities with an interdisciplinary approach. This summer school also aims to promote the cooperation and networking of the German Alumni from developing countries in Central and South Asia including the Far East (China & Korea) and enhancing their capacity building in the realization of some of the objectives of the Millennium Developing Goals (MDGs) like environmental and food security, poverty alleviation and global partnership through research and education. In view of these objectives and the main working theme/title of the summer school, keynote speakers from Germany, Russia and Mongolia will be invited for delivering talks on themes relevant to the environmental and socio-economic issues in Mongolia and other regions from the developing and developed world as well. Strengthening of some of the German Alumni networks like German Alumni International Biodiversity Network (GAInBiNet), German Alumni Club Mongolia, Mongolian-German Bridge, German Iranian Alumni Network (GIAN), GAFooN (German Alumni Food Network), and GAForN (German Alumni Forestry Network) will be an important objective of this event.
Multiplication function of the Summer School will be ensured through the contribution of representatives from science, economics, political institutions and NGOs like the WWF. DAAD and GIZ Mongolia delegates will also be invited. This summer school will therefore provide an opportunity to researchers, academia and industry practitioners to interact in a common platform and share their expertise and practical development experiences on new challenges and emerging issues.
Topics:
The main topics of the summer school based on which eligible candidates are encouraged to submit their abstracts are:

- Climate change - mitigation and implications on land-use patterns and biodiversity
- GIS and Remote Sensing - potential in landscape analysis
- Sustainable development and local income generation
- Environmental resources management & impact assessment
- Influence of mining industry on natural habitats, societies and livelihoods; restoration of mining areas
- Water and water resources management
- Grassland management and livelihoods of herders
- Forest & forest resources management
- Ecosystem services and local livelihoods
- Sustainable rangeland management ? livestock productivity and greenhouse gas mitigation
- Protected area management and monitoring of endangered species

Program:
The summer school program will include:

- Keynote talks by the invited experts
- Plenary sessions - Research papers and case studies to be delivered as oral presentations by the participating alumni, invited representatives of governmental bodies, NGOs & research institutes
- Group work activity - Discussions with follow-up presentations on the following topics -
(a) Mitigation of biodiversity loss and conflicts with land-use
(b) GIS & Remote Sensing as potential methodological tools for assessing land-use changes and habitat quality
(c) Climate change and long-term predicted impacts on environment and socio-economic scenario
(d) Restoration of post mining areas
- Field trips - This includes local excursions to two national parks located in the vicinity of the capital city, Ulan Bataar. Presentations by the park management officials and guided tours are the main activities apart from visits to cultural heritage sites.

Registration and Cost Coverage:
There is no registration fee for the invited delegates and German Alumni.
The following costs will be covered by the DAAD:
- International return ticket (economy class airfare)
- Airport transfer to and from the place of accommodation in Ulan Bataar
- Transport to the field excursion sites and park entrance fees
- Accommodation and living expenses during the official period of stay for the summer school
- Travel health insurance and visa application fees only

Eligibility criteria for applicants:
- German University alumni from developing countries in Central and South Asia including the Far East (China & Korea), who have stayed in Germany for at least three months for study or research purposes.
- Working in the field of natural sciences ? Biology, Ecology, Geography, Geosciences/Geology, Agriculture, Forestry, Ecological economics, Agronomy, natural resources management, climate change, wildlife tourism and management, sustainable development
- Institutional affiliations may include research and education, NGOs, government agencies, local community representatives and related stakeholders
- Multipliers, e.g. people who are in a position to spread the acquired knowledge and experience
- Women alumni are especially encouraged to apply

Submission of Application with abstract:
The application in English must include the following documents in one single PDF file:
- A cover letter, stating your motivation for participation and your special interest in the topic.
- A brief CV with personal and professional background information. Also indicate your previous stays in Germany (reason and duration), with proof of stay for scientific research purposes, study or work for at least 3 months, wherever applicable. Please insert a passport size portrait photograph in the CV
- An overview on seminars, workshops or conferences attended in Germany following completion of studies in Germany, including those funded by the DAAD
- Abstracts must be affiliated in relevance to the summer school scope and objectives, covering any of the listed topics and should also be related to your field of work or research. It should not exceed 450 words with font type "Arial", font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing.
- Abstracts should be written in English, the official language of the Summer School
In your application you are expected to state that if selected, you commit to participate in the entire program of the summer school (all days of plenary session, excursion and social program). You are also expected to give your approval that you might appear in pictures which are published in the DAAD webpage.
The deadline for the submission of complete application as instructed above is the 15th of March, 2015.

Please send your complete application electronically as a singly PDF file to the following E-Mail: kaminikusum@gmail.com, mpangau1@gwdg.de, Jolanta.Slowik@zentr.uni-goettingen.de, mkappas@gwdg.de

Travel dates:
The arrival date for delegates in Ulan Bataar will be the 14th of June, 2015 and the departure date is 21st of June, 2015.
For further inquiries, please contact the Organizing Committee.

Germany:
Prof. Martin Kappas (mkappas@gwdg.de)
Dr.Jolanta Slowik (Jolanta.Slowik@zentr.uni-goettingen.de)
Dr.Kamini Barua (kaminikusum@gmail.com)
Dr.Margaretha Pangau (mpangau1@gwdg.de)

Mongolia:
Prof. R.Samiya (rsamjaa@yahoo.com)
Prof. T.Renchin (tsolmoren@gmail.com)
Mr. Davaa Ikhagvasuren (d_Ikhagvaa@yahoo.com)