News

Stefan Brönnimann from the PALAEO-RA project of the Institute of Geography (palaeo-ra.unibe.ch) has released an e-learning tool for weather reconstructions. On www.weather-reconstruction.org, students and anyone interested can learn step-by-step how historical manuscript data can eventually lead to complex climate information such as hazard maps. The tool focuses on sources of uncertainty and the application of reanalysis data and other data products in a meaningful way. Data can be downloaded for analyses in statistical software and visualization tools. The sections Climate Data, Global Reanalyses and Downscaling and Applications each starts with a very short text and the video followed by 2–4 subsections, typically with an exercise.

In addition, introduction videos give a concise overview of each section:

Heike Mayer and Miriam Hug wrote a blog entry for the European Geosciences Union (EGU) about their experiences developing a hybrid format for the economic geography field course. Students developed innovative learning outcomes such as reports and films for this course.

The Barbara-Lischetti-Price 2020 goes to Dr. Timothy Adams in appreciation of his dissertation: «Large-Scale Land Investments, Institutional Change and Gender Relations: Land Investments in the Sugar Cane Sector of Malawi».

Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development, current director of the Institute of Geography and Board member of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) has obtained an ERC Consolidator Grant for a project on «Tropical forest patches under pressure: Dynamics, functions and sustainable management in agricultural landscapes of the West African forest and savannah zones (SUSTAINFORESTS)». The five-year project will analyse the roles of forest patches in the highly fragmented agricultural landscapes of the rainforest and savannah zones of the West African countries, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon. SUSTAINFORESTS examines why forest patches persist, how they maintain ecosystem services and livelihood functions, and under what conditions they can have a sustainable future.