To kick off our conference and network launch event for the Network for the Study of Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Transformations, the Centre for Civil Society and Governance hosted a public dialogue on “Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships.”
We were very pleased to welcome network members from across the Asia-Pacific region, alongside practitioners, government representatives, and guests from Hong Kong to the event.
We would like to sincerely thank Professor Samson Tse, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Ms. Linda So, JP, Director of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, for delivering the opening remarks. Ms. So’s opening speech was both inspiring and timely, reinforcing the importance of advancing nature-based solutions and sustainable practices as well as the government’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities in building a resilient and sustainable future through the Northern Metropolis Development.
We were also honoured to have Professor Yahua Wang (Tsinghua University) and Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick(International Food Policy Research Institute) as our keynote speakers.
Professor Wang explained the challenges of applying the SES framework across contexts due to variability in variable selection and interpretation, while also highlighting the importance of complexity, robustness, collaborative networks, and the potential for integrating AI and SES research. He also reflected on the importance of collaborative networks in working toward a more common SES language.
Building on this, Dr. Meinzen-Dick spoke to the importance of bridging theory and practice, transdisciplinarity, and building connections across people, institutions, and disciplines. She highlighted the importance of engaging with property rights and collective action in robust ways, and reflected on how experiential learning fosters collective action.
We were pleased to also offer a panel session featuring Professor Maiko Nishi, Professor Ching-Ping Tang, Professor Stephen M.B. Tang, and our Centre Director Professor Wai-Fung Lam. Dr. Winnie Law led a fruitful discussion on critical issues such as challenges in evaluating and understanding social-ecological systems beyond conventional metrics, including how to capture the broader social, ecological, and long-term impacts of these systems and partnerships.
Thank you once again to all keynote speakers, panelists, participants, and guests for contributing to such a thoughtful discussion.
Category : Event