Smiles abound at the 2023 Grin meeting
South African National Parks (SANParks) announces the successful conclusion of the fifth annual Garden Route Interface and Networking (Grin) meeting held from 10 to 12 October.
The event took place at Premier Hotel The Moorings and brought together a range of practitioners, experts and researchers from around the world to discuss critical topics and research related to the broader socialecological context of conservation and protected areas.
Grin is a community of practice hosted in partnership with the French CNRS, Sustainability Research Unit (SRU) of Nelson Mandela University and Southern African Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (SAPECS). It is a safe place for dialogue, exchange and learning across multiple organisations, themes and perspectives.
Over the course of three days, diverse issues spanning the ecological and social sciences were covered through presentations, discussions as well as informal networking and dialogue over teas, dinners and in nature. The programme included a predinner talk, "Knysna Estuary – Jewel of the Garden Route" by Prof Charles Breen and a workshop session combined with a field excursion at the Garden of Eden on "Care for Environment Carers" presented by Prof Wendy Foden.
Grin 2023 featured about 40 engaging presentations, covering a wide array of subjects within a social-ecological context.
Talks on biodiversity conservation and natural resource use encompassed themes on nature tourism and human nature connectedness, human-wildlife coexistence, reflexivity, diversity, inclusivity and relationality transforming science and conservation, and the challenges and opportunities faced by protected areas worldwide.
The presentations, delivered by experts (practitioners and researchers) in their
fields, facilitated knowledge sharing and the exchange of innovative ideas to enhance the preservation of our natural heritage.
"This year's Grin meeting has been another exciting opportunity for the conservation community in its widest sense to come together and collaboratively engage the complex challenges as well as opportunities facing us in the 21st century," said Dr Stefanie Freitag-Ronaldson, general manager of Garden Route and Frontier Scientific Services.
"The wealth of knowledge, experiences and honesty shared during this event has been inspiring and underscores the importance of dialogue and co-learning to inform holistic conservation and benefit-sharing approaches."
SANParks thanks all members of the Grin community (participants, speakers, partners) who contributed to this year's Grin meeting.
"The event's fruitful discussions and the commitment of the global conservation community underline the significance of collaborative efforts to preserve our planet's invaluable natural treasures," said Phokela Lebea, regional communications manager of the Garden Route National Park.