SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE MEETING: Online Meeting in September 2020

The  Scientific Committee (SC) got together again virtually on the 29th of September. It was was all smiles seeing all the members of the SC being well given the hardships that the world continues to endure as a result of Covid-19.

The meeting began by going into detail about the PECS conference that is set to be hosted in Montreal, Canada, in the summer of 2022. The discussion came into life as the scientific committee members discussed what they envision during the conference. The take home message for the hosts is to maintain some of the long standing values of PECS in the planning which will allow attendees to have time to speak about their experiences as they carry out place-based social-ecological systems research in different spaces and places globally. Additionally,  there was a sense that members enjoy hearing research in different artistic ways from varying contexts without following the convectional power-point presentation format. Also, the conference should allow for spaces of open communication, nice surprises and a good party after all the work! The SC suggested that the conference might also be a good opportunity to reflect on the lessons that we have learnt as academics during this Covid-19 era: paying attention to how Covid-19 has shaped the social-ecological systems (SES) that we study now and in the future. Bringing the PECS conference to the streets of Montreal was another suggestion as a way of bringing attendees to appreciate and be part of the culture of Montreal’s festivals during summer, “#PECSONTHESTREETS”.

On a positive front, our PECS website is now up and running and we have new sections were visitors can now access our special issue collections, books and other events under publications. You are also welcome to subscribe for our quarterly newsletter to receive all the exciting and informative work that PECS is doing with all its working groups, projects and networks.

All in all, it was a productive and open-hearted exchange of ideas concerning the next steps of PECS.

By Amanda Manyani