My colleague from Czech Globe, Vojtech Gerlich and I (Abhigya) spent the first three weeks of March 2026, simmering in unforeseen travel anxiety. The world had descended into chaos after the major powers began to engage in what now seems like a perpetual state of impasse, exposing the fragility of the world order and mocking... Continue Reading →
On 18 February 2026, authors contributing to the upcoming TransformERS edited volume gathered in Lisbon for an intensive one-day workshop. The meeting brought together researchers and practitioners from across Europe and beyond who focus on different dimensions of sustainability transformations. The aim of the workshop was twofold: to provide constructive peer feedback on draft chapters... Continue Reading →
How can big systemic ideas support people who are working on biodiversity challenges in their everyday practice? In our recent study from the PLANET4B project (🔗), we explored what happens when a well-known concept from systems thinking – the leverage points framework – is brought into participatory workshops with diverse stakeholders. Rather than debating the... Continue Reading →
Improving our understanding of how human-nature connection develops in the first formative years of a child’s life, could be a critical step towards ensuring our next generation is prepared to face our current and future environmental challenges. This is an argument I have made in previous blogposts (🔗) and in publications currently under review (which I look forward to... Continue Reading →
At the end of January 2026, Julia Leventon, Tereza Prášilová, Vendula Kubušková and Vojtěch Gerlich from the Department of Social Processes and Sustainability at CzechGlobe travelled to Brussels for the final conference of the Horizon Europe project SSH CENTRE – Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence. Over two intensive days,... Continue Reading →
At the European Climate and Energy Modelling Platform conference, held on 16-17 October 2025 in Brussels, researchers from CzechGlobe (Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences) co-organised and led a special session titled “Mainstreaming Reflexive Practices in Systems Modelling Approaches”. The event formed part of the conference’s overarching theme, “European Energy Transition... Continue Reading →
From 10 to 14 November 2025, I took part in the Regional Youth Workshop on IPBES for Europe and Central Asia at the International Academy for Nature Conservation on the Isle of Vilm, Germany. Hosted by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), the workshop brought together early-career participants working on biodiversity, ecosystem services... Continue Reading →
This post shares my reflections on the role of collaboration in sustainability-focused research based on the literature and lectures from Södertörn University’s online PhD course Collaborative Research Methods. As sustainability challenges become increasingly urgent, academic inquiries have paid more attention to understanding and addressing the deep connections between ecological, social, and economic systems. In response,... Continue Reading →
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Univerzita Komenského (Comenius University) in Bratislava, Slovakia to take part in the 33rd conference for the European Early Childhood Education and Research Association (EECERA). For some followers of this blog, this might seem like a slight deviation from the issues and fields we normally explore in our Human Dimensions Department. However,... Continue Reading →
Thanks to the wonderful work of and support from the Transformers COST Action (🔗), I recently had the opportunity to participate in two consecutive events, both focused on transformative change for sustainability. Both allowed me to broaden my experience, my views, the community with which I interact and work, and finally to broaden the way I... Continue Reading →
As the SSH CENTRE (Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence) project enters its final phase, members of the consortium gathered between 11-12 June 2025 for a two-day meeting at the historic King’s College, Cambridge. The event focused on writing deliverables, project reflection and strategic planning, and brought together partners to... Continue Reading →
The recent collaborative workshop held in Oslo on 15–16 April brought together a diverse and interdisciplinary community of 32 scholars and practitioners from across 18 countries, including David Stella and Simeon Vaňo from the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, united by a shared interest in exploring prefigurative politics on transformations.... Continue Reading →
Projekt ENABLElocal sdružuje partnerské instituce z Česka (CzechGlobe), Německa (ISOE) a Švédska (Lund University) a zaměřuje se na výzkum využívání dat o biodiverzitě v praxi ochrany přírody a využívání území. Naším cílem je podpořit tok dat mezi aktéry v oblasti ochrany přírody, systémy monitorování biodiverzity a národními, evropskými a globálními datovými infrastrukturami. Výzkum realizujeme v... Continue Reading →
The thought of travelling to another country, experiencing a new culture and accessing new opportunities is exhilarating. However, this will die down after some months and you will start missing home. This feeling is normal. Moreover, the thought of settling at your new location can be exciting and at the same time daunting. Having lived... Continue Reading →
How can we make better decisions for biodiversity on individual and institutional levels? One approach used by the PLANET4B project to tackle this question involves system mapping, leverage point analysis, and identifying key intervention points across various sectors and regions. The recently published "Report on System Mapping and Leverage Points for Each Case" presents findings... Continue Reading →
TransformERS is a COST Action network that aims to inform research, policy and practice for transformations that deliver justice in a changing global context by bringing together and positioning research relevant to societal transformation. Societal transformations such as these are refered to as highly necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss, and are... Continue Reading →
Ve dnech 18.-22. listopadu 2024 se v nizozemském Wageningenu uskutečnila pátá evropská konference Partnerství pro ekosystémové služby (ESP) s podtitulem „Ecosystem Services: One Planet, One Health“. Téma konference odkazovalo na otázku, jak může koncept ekosystémových služeb řešit výzvy spojené s naplňováním globální vize „Jedno zdraví“ a zároveň přispět k transformativním řešením pro udržitelnost. Téma zdůraznilo vzájemnou závislost... Continue Reading →
In October 2024, the Department of Human Dimensions at CzechGlobe participated in the Book Launch and Consortium Meeting of the SSH Centre project (Social Science and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence), held in Granada, Spain. This meeting brought together consortium partners to celebrate major achievements, share insights, and discuss the future trajectory... Continue Reading →
The PLANET4B 3rd Consortium Meeting took place from October 8th to 10th, 2024, in Budapest. It was an insightful gathering aimed at advancing the project's objectives. Held at the centrally located Impact Hub Budapest, the meeting brought together all project partners to review progress, share findings, and strategize the next steps. Over three days, project... Continue Reading →
Pozadí projektu a jeho cíle Praxe v oblasti ochrany přírody a využití území má zásadní vliv na biodiverzitu. Data o biodiverzitě však nejsou v rozhodovacích procesech či managementu v ochraně přírody na místní úrovni vždy zohledňována. Využívání dat brání například omezený taxonomický a ekologický rozsah stávajících dat, jejich časoprostorové pokrytí, které je pro místní kontext... Continue Reading →
The Human Dimensions department has a long-standing tradition of actively contributing to higher education by engaging with universities. This involvement plays a crucial role in connecting academic research with real-world challenges. The collaboration includes teaching at institutions such as the Faculty of Science at Charles University and Masaryk University in Brno. Most recently, Eva Horváthová... Continue Reading →
V červnu 2024 proběhl již druhý výzkumný workshop na téma resilienčního myšlení vedený týmem vědců a vědkyň z Národního Institutu SYRI působících také na Ústavu výzkumu globální změny AV ČR. Na workshopu se s výzkumným týmem setkali opět také aktéři a aktérky snižování rizik katastrof v Česku. Jedním z cílů setkání bylo představit dosavadní výsledky... Continue Reading →
In April 2024, a two-day workshop on Mobility Communities was held in Porto, Portugal, as part of series of workshops organised under the Knowledge Brokerage Programme within the project SSH Centre. CzechGlobe, a partner of the project consortium, was represented by Tereza Prášilová, who attended the workshop as an active observer. First day of the... Continue Reading →
In January 2024, the Department of Human Dimensions at CzechGlobe participated in the Project Review meeting and Consortium meeting of the Horizon-funded project, SSH Centre (Social Science and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence), held in Brussels. The Department of Human Dimensions at CzechGlobe is a partner institution in the SSH Centre project, which is... Continue Reading →
Vědkyně a vědci z Národního Institutu SYRI uspořádali v listopadu 2023 workshop resilienčního myšlení pro aktéry snižování rizik katastrof v Česku. Tento navazoval na předchozí spolupráci a představoval úvodní část výzkumného projektu zaměřeného na adaptaci na změny klimatu a řešení krizových situací. Hlavním cílem byla prezentace výzkumných výsledků z oblasti sociálně-ekologické resilience a představení konceptu... Continue Reading →
In the week of 23-27 October 2023, the Department of Human Dimensions of Global Change was represented at two events in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, as part of the ongoing activities of the PLANET4B project. The 2023 Radboud conference on Earth System Governance brought together different scientific disciplines and stakeholders from different sectors to connect science... Continue Reading →
At the beginning of October, Pavlína Schultzová, Lenka Suchá, and Zuzana Harmáčková from the Department of Social-Ecological Analysis participated in a workshop dedicated to Climate Science Communication organized by People in Need as part of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) project. This workshop brought together both scientists and journalists who specialize in communicating and popularizing... Continue Reading →
Zajímavou součástí vědecké práce Oddělení sociálně-ekologické analýzy byl červencový participativní workshop na mezinárodní Letní škole v Josefově. Studentky divadelních oborů z Česka, Slovenska a Polska si na něm osvojily stěžejní poznatky výzkumu sociálně-ekologické resilience a získaly příležitost je ihned aplikovat při tvůrčí kooperativní imaginaci resilientních budoucností. Anna Bromová a Lenka Suchá tak při workshopu s názvem „Connective energy, collective... Continue Reading →
In May and June this year, as part of the IP LIFE One Nature project, the third series of participatory seminars was held in selected Natura 2000 locations (Třeboňsko, Křivoklátsko, Slavkovský les). One of the objectives of this series of workshops was to find out how different groups of actors (mayors, officials, agricultural and forestry... Continue Reading →
From 13 to 15 July this year, CzechGlobe hosted the European Hub of the Transformations 2023 conference. You can see more about the conference, and the Transformations Community here. The European Hub was intended as a smaller, intensive in-person conference as a way to maximize inclusive participation while minimizing carbon emissions. The main conference was... Continue Reading →
The Evidence for Policy in Disaster Risk Management Summer School brought together researchers, scientists and policy makers to network, share knowledge and explore methods for the incorporation of more research into policy making. The Summer School, organised by the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network and hosted by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, took place in Pisa,... Continue Reading →
In the Horizon Europe-funded project BIONEXT, European changemakers are exploring new visions for nature-centered Europe for 2050. In the first out of three BIONEXT workshops, in May 2023 in Greece, changemakers from different backgrounds created visions of what a nature-centred Europe can look like in the year 2050. Who are the changemakers participating in BIONEXT... Continue Reading →
In the second half of May and at the turn of June, the third series of our participatory workshops took place in three geographical areas of interest (in Třeboň on 16 May, in Bečov nad Teplou on 30 May and in Křivoklát on 1 June). The focus of this series was conflicting interests in the... Continue Reading →
Ve čtvrtek 27. dubna proběhla v kině Přítomnost premiéra filmu Hodnoty přírody. Film je prvním uceleným dokumentem, který na příkladu české krajiny vizuálně přívětivou formou vysvětluje, jaké přínosy čili ekosystémové služby nám lidem příroda poskytuje, a proč je důležité o nich v ochraně přírody i při rozhodování o využití krajiny vědět. Ukazuje, jak se takové přínosy měří... Continue Reading →
Odborníci z CzechGlobe se připojují k předním evropským vědcům, aby poskytli praktická a účinná řešení pro řešení globální krize biodiverzity. Nový čtyřletý projekt BIONEXT, financovaný z programu EU pro výzkum a inovace Horizon Europe, přinese nové poznatky demonstrující, jakými způsoby je biologická rozmanitost základem všech aspektů života, včetně vody, kterou pijeme, potravin, které jíme, a... Continue Reading →
Experts from CzechGlobe are joining leading scientists from across Europe to provide practical and effective solutions for addressing the global biodiversity crisis. The new four-year project, BIONEXT, funded by the EU’s research and innovation program Horizon Europe, will produce new evidence to demonstrate how biodiversity underpins every aspect of life, including the water we drink,... Continue Reading →
On 25th January, we were proud to be part of the official launch of the SSH Centre (Social Science and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence) project, led by our colleagues at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK. The project engages with actors from across research, business, policy and citizens to contribute to accelerate... Continue Reading →
In November, the second series of our participatory workshops (continuing from the first series as part of the One Nature project) took place in the Slavkov Forest, Třeboň and Křivoklát regions. Once again, we invited representatives from a wide range of disciplines that have impact on the shaping of local nature and landscape. The content... Continue Reading →
It has long been known that higher levels of biodiversity underpin good ecosystem health and functions and, conversely, continued biodiversity loss threatens both the biosphere and human life. Research provides evidence supporitng these facts and identifies the main cause - humans. The world’s ecosystem may undergo drastic changes and even alter to new states thanks... Continue Reading →
Climate change and its impacts, such as extreme heat, represent an unprecedented challenge for cities, causing overheating and threatening the future prosperity, health and well-being of urban residents. Climate adaptation is one of the central topics for sustainable cities and societies. Yet, we have limited knowledge about the magnitude of climate change that we will... Continue Reading →
Authors: Kateřina Mácová, Jitka Kozubková We introduced the topic of ecosystem services to almost sixty people working in nature conservation at two seminars held in Prague and Brno in May (as part of the One Nature project). This was a step forward to greater availability of the concept of assessment of nature’s services and contributions... Continue Reading →
The one-day weekend workshop taught participants new creative writing and creative visual methods. It focused on works and ideas connected to nature, the landscape, and the environment. This workshop took place as part of the Just Scapes project, which deals with the just transformation of society and the landscape in the European countryside. We collaborated... Continue Reading →
3.–9. července 2022 proběhne v Bonnu 9. plenární zasedání Mezivládní vědecko-politické platformy pro biodiverzitu a ekosystémové služby (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES). IPBES představuje “rozhraní mezi vědou a politikou” (science-policy interface), tedy platformu, která sdružuje politické zástupce jednotlivých zemí a odborníky na otázky biologické rozmanitosti (biodiverzity), ekosystémových služeb a udržitelnosti. IPBES... Continue Reading →
In the second half of April and at the beginning of May, participatory workshops were held in Slavkovský les, Křivoklát and Třeboň for invited stakeholders who have the potential to influence the local landscape and nature through their activities in the regions. Representatives of the forestry, fishing, mining and agricultural industries, representatives of...
What are the key sustainability issues and problems in CAS, its departments and institutes? What are some of the good sustainability practices? What solutions are in the power of individual CAS institutes and departments alongside with other academic institutions in the...
We have recently launched a new project to prompt sustainability within the Czech Academy of Sciences. Here, we introduce our project: Mainstreaming Eco-Sustainability through CAS Activities (MESCAS). What is MESCAS? MESCAS is working to mainstream sustainability through our research and operational activities in departments and institutes of the Academy. Over this first year, we are... Continue Reading →
In collaboration with colleagues in Finland and Australia, we have started putting together an Innovative Session Proposal for the Earth Systems Governance Conference, 2022. We have called the session ‘The Garden of Budding (Potentially Great) Ideas, and we are currently seeking expressions of interest from those who want to join to present (online or in... Continue Reading →
Would you like to read our highlights of 2021? We have prepared a little newsletter to show you what we have done over the last year. We wish you a wonderful winter holiday, and look forward to seeing you again in 2022. highlights2021_finalDownload
Learning from others to share innovations and world views is an important pathway to achieving sustainability. The basic premise is that when people know more about sustainability, they will act to achieve sustainability. Such learning can be about what sustainability is, or the impact of their current actions, or innovations or alternative actions that can... Continue Reading →
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