Talk about a huge target audience. Everyone - literally everyone on Earth - has a stake in a conference being held in Edmonton at the end of the month.
The 15th Biennial Global Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons is a massive meeting about the commons, a.k.a. the valuable resources all human beings share but no one owns outright. These include such natural resources as air, water, arable land and wildlife, and cultural ones the likes of justice and scientific knowledge.
From May 25 to 29, nearly 600 scientists, scholars, activists, Indigenous Peoples and other international experts will present papers and discuss how best to manage and sustain the commons.
Hailing from fields as diverse as fisheries and forests, law and economics, energy and agriculture, ethics and public policy, speakers will also tackle how to avoid "the tragedy of the commons." The economic term refers to individuals neglecting the well-being of society in favour of personal gain when exploiting a commons resource.
"We are usually in silos talking about these issues," said Brenda Parlee, an associate professor in both REES and Native Studies, and one of the conference organizers.
"This is real interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue between ecologists, economists, sociologists, community activists, government leaders and Indigenous Peoples. It's rare."
In addition to such important issues as fracking, Indigenous treaty rights, and knowledge and management of freshwater resources, a wide scope of global topics is on offer, ranging from legal protections for medicinal plants in Ghana, to the lifting of the Nicobar Islands in the East Indian Ocean in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
"We also anticipate provocative discussion about big issues Albertans and Canadians urgently face," said Parlee. "How do we sustain lands and resources for future generations? What are the implications of climate change for Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security? Some big names are coming as keynotes that will really push the envelope."
Those speakers include world-renowned ecologist David Schindler, who will tackle the oilsands and the state of science in Canada. Ethnoecologist Nancy Turner will explain food security traditions of western Canadian First Peoples. Rob Huebert, associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, will address Arctic sovereignty and climate change. Dene scholar Itoah Scott-Enns will unfurl the future of the Arctic from a youth perspective. And Francois Paulette, a former Dene Nation chief and the namesake of the Paulette Caveat - which established the validity of two treaties between the British Crown and the Dene People - will speak about the sustainability of the freshwater resources of the Mackenzie River Basin, Canada's largest watershed.
There will also be expert-led field trips of Fort McMurray's oilsands, Edmonton's refinery row, the North Saskatchewan River and bike tours of the river valley.
The conference, hosted by the faculties of ALES and Native Studies with Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, is also an ALES 100 event and will take place at the Shaw Conference Centre.
To register for the conference or specific events, visit the conference website.
The 15th Biennial Global Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons is a massive meeting about the commons, a.k.a. the valuable resources all human beings share but no one owns outright. These include such natural resources as air, water, arable land and wildlife, and cultural ones the likes of justice and scientific knowledge.
From May 25 to 29, nearly 600 scientists, scholars, activists, Indigenous Peoples and other international experts will present papers and discuss how best to manage and sustain the commons.
Hailing from fields as diverse as fisheries and forests, law and economics, energy and agriculture, ethics and public policy, speakers will also tackle how to avoid "the tragedy of the commons." The economic term refers to individuals neglecting the well-being of society in favour of personal gain when exploiting a commons resource.
"We are usually in silos talking about these issues," said Brenda Parlee, an associate professor in both REES and Native Studies, and one of the conference organizers.
"This is real interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue between ecologists, economists, sociologists, community activists, government leaders and Indigenous Peoples. It's rare."
In addition to such important issues as fracking, Indigenous treaty rights, and knowledge and management of freshwater resources, a wide scope of global topics is on offer, ranging from legal protections for medicinal plants in Ghana, to the lifting of the Nicobar Islands in the East Indian Ocean in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
"We also anticipate provocative discussion about big issues Albertans and Canadians urgently face," said Parlee. "How do we sustain lands and resources for future generations? What are the implications of climate change for Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security? Some big names are coming as keynotes that will really push the envelope."
Those speakers include world-renowned ecologist David Schindler, who will tackle the oilsands and the state of science in Canada. Ethnoecologist Nancy Turner will explain food security traditions of western Canadian First Peoples. Rob Huebert, associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, will address Arctic sovereignty and climate change. Dene scholar Itoah Scott-Enns will unfurl the future of the Arctic from a youth perspective. And Francois Paulette, a former Dene Nation chief and the namesake of the Paulette Caveat - which established the validity of two treaties between the British Crown and the Dene People - will speak about the sustainability of the freshwater resources of the Mackenzie River Basin, Canada's largest watershed.
There will also be expert-led field trips of Fort McMurray's oilsands, Edmonton's refinery row, the North Saskatchewan River and bike tours of the river valley.
The conference, hosted by the faculties of ALES and Native Studies with Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, is also an ALES 100 event and will take place at the Shaw Conference Centre.
To register for the conference or specific events, visit the conference website.