ANNUAL REPORT 2014 SARAS INSTITUTE Ruta 10 km 86, Parada 21 al fondo Bella Vista, Maldonado - Uruguay Email: [email protected] Website: www.saras-insitute.org ANNUAL REPORT 3 Institute & Foundation The SARAS² Institute is a The South American Institute meeting regularly to discuss guidelines joint initiative of Wageningen for Resilience and Sustainability and redefine the Institute’s main University (Netherlands), the Studies (SARAS2) is an emerging features, targets and goals. University of the Republic transdisciplinary institute designed (UdelaR, Uruguay), the Resilience to generate critical insights allowing The Institute’s academic life began Alliance, the Education and South America to build sustainable between 2008 and 2009 with various Culture Ministry of Uruguay futures. It seeks integration across scientific publications and several (Uruguay), and the Maldonado a broad range of knowledge research projects presented at Department(Uruguay). using innovative approaches and national and international level. integrating social and natural sciences, In connection with the approved mathematics and arts. projects, a five year programme of Through the advisory board the annual conferences on relevant topics Institute has strong linkages SARAS2 will be housed in a custom in Latin America was established. The with: the Beijer Institute of designed building currently being cycle of annual conferences started Ecological Economics (Sweden), constructed at the coast of Uruguay in 2010 with the topic Sustainable the Stockholm Resilience Center providing space and facilities for Future of Water Resources in Latin (Sweden), the University of workshops, courses and academic America. In 2009 SARAS2 was granted Wisconsin (USA), Arizona State residencies, thus serving as a hub for a substantial support from the University (USA), the University the emergence of novel cooperative University of the Republic (UdelaR). of Waterloo (Canada), the networks. We envision the kind and Thank to this contributions, Mariana Catholic University of Chile intense interaction at SARAS to shape Meerhoff joined the work team. There (CASEB, Chile), the Patagonic a new generation of broad visionary was also financial backing from the National Center CONICET thinkers and creators. Ministry of Education and Culture. (Argentina), the University of In 2011 additional support from Brasilia (Brazil), and the Doñana The idea of SARAS2 Institute was the Municipality of Maldonado was Biological Station-CSIC (Spain). conceived in 2005 between Marten approved. Scheffer and Néstor Mazzeo. In January 2006, a first document was In December 2012 SARAS2 was drafted and at the same time, Mayor established as a foundation in order of Maldonado Oscar De los Santos to resolve the legal and administrative was approached in order to explore format of management. At present, the possibility of establishing SARAS the Ministry of Education and Culture, Institute in that department. With the UdelaR and the Municipality of strong support of the Municipality, Maldonado provide the main financial a search for a suitable location support. started. Since the summer of 2007 the Advisory Board of SARAS2 began One of this year’s milestones was the saras-institute.org SARAS INSTITUTE beginning of the first phase of SARAS Rodríguez and Mariella Busnadiego. building at Bella Vista. Another more intangible but yet key structural input The Administrative Board of the has been the development of a new SARAS² Foundation involves: Néstor portrait of SARAS2 through the design Mazzeo (UdelaR representative), Omar of a new website. Defeo (UdelaR representative), Osvaldo Sala (Advisory Board representative), The advisory board is integrated by: Mariana Meerhoff(Advisory Board Marten Scheffer, Jordi Bascompte, representative), Ricardo Pereira Laurie Beth Clark, Steve Carpenter, (Maldonado representative), Virginia Omar Defeo, Carl Folke, Pablo Fernández (MEC representative) and Marquet, Osvaldo Sala, Ana Parma, Matías Arim (Scientific members Eduardo Viola, Frances Westley and representative). Mariana Meerhoff. Finally, the Fiscal Board of the SARAS² The Scientific Director is Néstor Foundation involves: Lujan Criado Mazzeo. The Executive Committee (UdelaR representative), Gustavo is integrated by: Marten Scheffer, Morales (Udelar representative) and Osvaldo Sala, Ana Dubra, Néstor Julio Riella (Maldonado government Mazzeo, Mariana Meerhoff, Paula representative). Bianchi, Cecilia Delgado, William Scientific activities For the last five years there has led a series of scientific conferences: 2010 Continental aquatic resources 2011 Artisanal fisheries 2012 Transitions in terrestrial ecosystems 2013 Education for uncertainty 2014 Imagining resilience: Art-science collaboration for sustainability ANNUAL REPORT 5 Networks SARAS2 can be considered a net of networks. The networks are organized about specific topics independently of the disciplinary background of the researchers. National level the second and third components. collaboration with 60 professionals and practitioners of all Uruguayan SARAS2 has been working on a The network related to aquatic state institutions related to water project proposal in collaboration ecosystems studies also contributes quality and management. with the National Directorate on with the elaboration of a rehabilitation Land Organization (DINOT) and strategy for recovering ecosystems In December 2014, SARAS2 the Departmental Government of services from artificial lakes located coordinated a workshop entitled Maldonado. The work involves an in the Canelones Council, an initiative “Robust spatial design of a national economic study of the alternative promoted by the Departmental monitoring program, on aquatic scenarios that could be developed Government of Canelones. In March ecosystems in Uruguay”, with the at the Laguna del Sauce basin. 2014 the complete report will be collaboration of Dr. José Barquin This project will have three main published. (Cantabria University-Spain) and the components: (i) scenario analysis participation of representatives of the carried out in collaboration with In November 2014, SARAS2 co- main ministries and agencies related two ecological economists of the coordinated the workshop on to aquatic resources. Economics Institute of the University “Agriculture intensification and of the Republic about the alternative superficial water quality in Uruguay”, Nowadays, SARAS2’s researchers scenarios in Laguna del Sauce basin; together with the National Directorate together with the Ministry of (ii) synthesis of previous scientific of Environment (DINAMA) of the Agriculture from Uruguay, the and technical contributions directly Environment Ministry, the School of Stockholm Resilience Center and related to land planning; and (iii) a Sciences (UdelaR), and supported some academic institutions from governance analysis of the national- by the Directorate of Science and Argentina and USA are defining a local interactions and decision-making Technology (DICYT) of the Ministry cooperation program related to the processes underlying the future of Education, and Culture and the quantification and implementation restructuring of the use/regulations of National and Agency of Research and alternatives of the adaptation Laguna del Sauce’s basin. SARAS will Innovation (ANII). Four professors of and resilience capacity of cattle facilitate and coordinate the project, the University of Aarhus (Denmark) production farmers in the context of and will focus on the work related to worked during three days in close new scenarios of climatic variability. Regional context In November 2014 the first national workshop on Vulnerability, adaptation and resilience of small cattle At the local and regional level, SARAS2 has been closely producers to current and future scenarios. This workshop engaged in the launching and implementation of the was co-coordinated by SARAS and the Center on Climate Regional Center for Climate Change and Decision-making Change and Decision-making (UNESCO-AVINA). The coordinated by UNESCO-AVINA and a regional network of national workshop sought to improve the connection universities and institutes. between policymakers, farmers and the research community. A book with the main result will be published during 2015. saras-institute.org SARAS INSTITUTE Regional context In May, SARAS2 participated at the Sustainability in the Water – Energy - Food Nexus, Bonn, Germany http://wef-conference. gwsp.org/programme/programme.html Related to this activity and the previous one described at the regional level, SARAS2 took part of two initiatives submitted to the 2014 Future Earth’s call. In August 2014, the Vice president of the US National Academy of Sciences had an official visit to Uruguay aimed at exploring and strengthening the scientific collaboration between the two countries. SARAS2 elaborated a proposal with some key areas in which collaboration with US partners could and should be sought. As a follow up of that meeting SARAS2 is now working with the Ministry of Education and Culture on the following research topics: 1. Early warning signals in complex systems 2. Managing complex social-ecological systems: the case of fisheries 3. Abrupt grass-woodland transitions: determinants and consequences for ecosystem services 4. Interaction of human impacts on freshwater ecosystems, with focus on climate change and land use 5. Futures of South America: scenario planning in climate-land use changes and sustainability Training programs Postgraduate courses PhD