The Faculty of Geography UGM hosted the 2017 Annual Network Meeting of Centers for Natural Resources and Development (CNRD) Consortium from 20 until 24 November 2017 at Grand Istana Rama, Kuta, Bali.
The CNRD is a worldwide university network that promotes academic exchanges and cooperation in the field of natural resource management, particularly with regard to water, soil, ecosystems and renewable energy sources. The network aims to make a valuable contribution to the Post-2015 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The consortium is participated by 20 universities on four continents (http://www.cnrd.info), while the consortium funding comes from DAAD Germany.
The Dean of Faculty of Geography UGM, Prof. Dr. Muh Aris Marfai, M.Sc, in his opening remark stated that the Faculty of Geography UGM has been involved in CNRD since 2009 in various cross-border research and education activities.
The five-day meeting discussed annual collaborative activity plans including: exchange of students and students; improving teaching capacity through didactic production; curriculum development; as well as the development of shared teaching and learning modules. It also discussed collaborative research activities such as research workshops, developping basin-based research data base, and science policy workshop. The various activities are carried out in various participating countries of the CNRD consortium each year.
The topics covered in the CNRD consortium include sustainable natural resource management, such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Nexus Energy-Air-Food and Resource Efficient Cities. During this event, the Faculty of Geography also invited the Center for Research and Observation of the Sea (BROL) as one of the stakeholders of marine resources management in Indonesia. In addition to BROL, several representatives of international institutions are also present at this meeting, including representatives from Global Water System Project (GWSP), IUCN Senior Programme Coordinator Disaster Risk Reduction, Head of UNEP’s Environmental Education and Training Unit (EETU), Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction at the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, serta IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, University of Lausanne, Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, Swiss.
Field trips to Serangan Island, Mangrove Forest Tahura and Pandawa Beach was also conducted in order to provide an overview of the management of natural resources on the island of Bali in various sectors. By joining this consortium, the Faculty of Geography UGM is expected to develop a wider network of intercontinental cooperation in terms of education and research.