ProSPER.Net E-Bulletin Issue 96 (January 2021)

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Message from the ProSPER.Net Secretariat

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Greetings from the ProSPER.Net Secretariat and Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a restful break and have had a good start to the year so far. We start the year by announcing two new ProSPER.Net joint research projects that have been awarded ProSPER.Net Joint Research Project grants, 'One Health Approach in Long-Tailed Macaques Conservation and Zoonotic Potential from Molecular and Social Perspective in Tourism Places of Bali and Yogyakarta' led by Universitas Gadjah Mada, and 'Impacts of Pollution on Tropical Montane and Temperate Forests of South Asia: Preliminary Studies by Postgraduate Students in India and Sri Lanka' led by TERI School of Advanced Studies. Congratulations and we look forward to seeing the achievements of these projects! Further details on each are below.

We have also opened the call this month for institutions wishing to apply for ProSPER.Net Membership for 2021; details are below.

Speaking of open calls, a final reminder that the call is still out for members who may wish to host the ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme for 2021, with applications closing this week, on 31 January, 2021.

Should you have any news, open calls, upcoming events, or publications you wish to share via this bulletin, please complete this form and email your submission to the ProSPER.Net Secretariat at ProSPERNet@unu.edu (submissions close on the 15th of each month).

Sincerely,
ProSPER.Net Secretariat

Open Calls

2021 ProSPER.Net Membership Applications

Applications are now open for membership to ProSPER.Net for 2021. Membership is limited to higher education institutions located in the Asia-Pacific region that offer postgraduate education and research in sustainable development (SD) and in fields related to education for sustainable development (ESD). An affiliate membership category is also open to higher education institutions located outside the Asia-Pacific region who are interested in working together with the network for the benefit of the region. Read more about the application process and how to apply here. The deadline for applications is 30 May, 2021 (11:59pm JST).

Last Chance: Call For 2021 ProSPER.Net Event Host: Leadership Programme

The ProSPER.Net Secretariat would like to invite members to submit self-nominations to host the ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme for 2021.

Over the years, the network members have taken turns in hosting the Leadership Programme. Hosting ProSPER.Net programmes/events gives the host institute a great opportunity for networking, promotion and capacity building.

Member institutions interested in hosting can self-nominate by sending an official letter to the ProSPER.Net Secretariat. A hosting member may invite other ProSPER.Net members located in neighboring areas to co- host. In order to aid in the selection process, the following information should be included in the application letter:

• Proposed dates

• Location and capacity of proposed venue (please note, the proposal is to cover an in-person event, with an online event as a back-up, due to uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic)

• Proposed theme

• Tentative sources of funding (details on budget plan)

• Contact person(s) with relevant assigned tasks and/or responsibilities

The ProSPER.Net Secretariat will gladly assist in designing an event programme and coordinating a timeline. Please note however, the event host is requested to cover the organisational costs in most cases.

Members interested in hosting the ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme are requested to submit an official letter of interest to the ProSPER.Net Secretariat (ProSPERNet@unu.edu) by Sunday 31 January, 2021.

Call for Guest Editor: NORRAG Special issue on 'Education in Times of Climate Change'

NORRAG Special issues (NSI) are an open-source periodical that seeks to give prominence to authors from different countries and with diverse perspectives. Each issue is dedicated to a special topic of education research, policy and practice; education is defined broadly.

NORRAG is currently seeking proposals to serve as Guest Editor of a NORRAG Special issue on 'Education in Times of Climate Change' to be published by December 2021. The Guest Editor(s) mobilises approximately 25 to 30 authors to contribute relevant and high-quality articles each of about 1500-2000 words; conducts quality control/editorial duties in cooperation with NORRAG; writes the editorial; and leads an online launch event. Applications are to be sent to anouk.pasquier@graduateinstitute.ch by 14 February, 2021. Read more

Upcoming Events

UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development - Pre-conference workshops

In the lead-up to the UNESCO World Conference on ESD from 17-19 May, 2021, UNESCO has been holding a series of ESD online workshops in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, and with the German Commission for UNESCO as advisory partner. There are still three workshops remaining in the series – mark your calendars and stay up-to-date for when registrations open on the event page here

• #5: ESD and Climate Emergency: 'Bend the curve for climate change' (10 February 2021, 10:00 GMT+1) 

• #6: ESD and lifestyle: Re-designing consumption and production (10 March 2021, 14:00 GMT+1)

• #7: ESD for 2030 framework and the Berlin Conference: Time to act - Now or Never (14 April 2021, 12:30 GMT+1)

Latest News

ProSPER.Net Joint Research Project: One Health Approach in Long-Tailed Macaques Conservation and Zoonotic Potential from Molecular and Social Perspective in Tourism Places of Bali and Yogyakarta

Although in some places long-tailed macaques are often seen as a nuisance to human activities, in some tourism objects, long-tailed macaques have become very important icons, with their existence used as an attraction for tourists to visit the place. 

Bali and Yogyakarta are the cities with most tourist attractions in Indonesia. In the province of Bali, the presence of long-tailed macaques as a lure for tourists can be found in Uluwatu, Monkey Forest Ubud and Sangeh. Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, the presence of long-tailed macaques in such a tourist area is in Kaliurang. The existence of a herd of long-tailed macaques in tourist areas, on the one hand, has been beneficial because it has become a tourist commodity, which improves the wealth of the communities surrounding the areas, but on the other hand, cautions are needed because long-tailed macaques have been reported to attack and bite visitors. In severe cases, they rob the visitors' belongings and intimidate people, especially children. The possibility of disease transmission from monkeys to visitors is also another potential problem that arises due to the genetic similarity to humans which can transfer zoonotic diseases (disease from animals to humans and vice versa). Thus, One Health Approach, a transdisciplinary approach e.g. Veterinary Medicine, Anthropology (Social and Cultural Sciences), and Natural Science (Molecular Biology), is urgently needed in tourism places in Bali and Yogyakarta to protect the communal health and sustainable communities alongside with the animals' conservation. 

The ProSPER.Net joint research project, 'One Health Approach in Long-Tailed Macaques Conservation and Zoonotic Potential from Molecular and Social Perspective in Tourism Places of Bali and Yogyakarta', aims to provide the best approach to empowerment programs according to the One Health Approach to maintain the health of humans, animals, especially long-tailed macaques, and environment. Additionally, the One Health Approach is needed for the long-tailed macaques to have good relationships with humans and maintain their sustainability as well as maintain the sustainability of the tourism place. 

The project will be led by Universitas Gadjah Mada, working with members from Hokkaido University and Mahidol University. Read more

ProSPER.Net Joint Research Project: Impacts of Pollution on Tropical Montane and Temperate Forests of South Asia: Preliminary Studies by Postgraduate Students in India and Sri Lanka

The impacts of atmospheric pollution now reach distant locations and are not restricted to the vicinity of the polluting sources. Pollutants of fine particulate matter also get transported to remote forest ecosystems, impacting upon their constituent biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. The loss of these services are less researched with limited quantification, hence they do not surface in policy and decision-making.

Research through remote sensing has substantiated South Asia as a global hotspot of pollution. In addition to carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases like oxides of sulfur and nitrogen are having a detrimental impact on species sensitive to pollution. This is altering forest biogeochemistry, nutrient cycling, and causing tissue damage which impacts physiological processes like photosynthesis. The functioning of ecosystems has yet to be understood in greater depth. Detrimental impacts on their functioning are not always readily visible and may take a long time to manifest themselves.

The ProSPER.Net joint research project, 'Impacts of Pollution on Tropical Montane and Temperate Forests of South Asia: Preliminary Studies by Postgraduate Students in India and Sri Lanka' will engage postgraduate students of the TERI School of Advanced Studies in India, and the University of Peradeniya and University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka to undertake preliminary research in temperate forests of the Himalayas, India and the tropical montane forests of Sri Lanka on the impacts of pollution on biodiversity. 

The project will be led by TERI School of Advanced Studies, working with members from the University of Peradeniya and University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Read more

This is a publication of UNU-IAS ProSPER.Net Secretariat. The bulletin is a great way to share your activities, events and news as a ProSPER.Net member with the rest of the network. Feel free to send us any information you may deem relevant for the rest of the community by completing this form and emailing it to prospernet@unu.edu. We look forward to your inputs! Visit ProSPER.Net regularly for up-to-date news and event information.

ProSPER.Net Secretariat 

United Nations University 
Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability 
5-53-70 Jingumae, 
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925 
Japan