Land Use and Ecosystem Change Summer School

About

Food and energy demands from a growing global population, combined with rapidly changing lifestyles, are placing unprecedented pressure on land and ecosystems. At the same time, land is increasingly expected to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, often under the destabilising influence of climate change, which can significantly modify plant productivity. These overlapping and sometimes conflicting demands represent one of the central challenges to achieving long-term sustainability.
KIT Campus Alpin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen offers a 7.5 day international Summer School on a wide range of issues related to land use change, socio-ecological systems, ecosystem functioning, and modelling techniques.
This Summer School is free of charge, includes lunches, materials and a field excursion. Travel and accommodation must be covered by the applicant. 35 spots are available

Course leader

Prof. Dr. Mark Rounsevell and Prof. Dr. Almut Arneth

Target group

MSc and PhD students in environmental sciences, geography, economics, geo-ecology, meteorology, ecology

Course aim

Participants will learn about a wide range of issues related to land use change, socio-ecological systems, ecosystem functioning, and modelling techniques. Lectures will cover the following topics:
1. Approaches to modelling future land use change
2. Land use change processes and drivers across time and space through observational data
3. Analysing management techniques, social networks, and historical context
4. Modelling ecosystem functioning and environmental change
5. The role of tipping points, risk management, and resilience in ecological systems
6. Climate and social change effects on biodiversity, habitats, and ecosystem services
7. How land use and ecosystem change fit into international assessment processes and policies