BHEARD Scholar Present Research at High Profile Conference
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EmailBHEARD scholar Harrington Nyirenda presented a poster at the 11th Conference of Society for Ecological Restoration Europe 2018 (SERE2018) held in Iceland from 9-13 September, 2018.
BHEARD scholar Harrington Nyirenda (University of Pretoria) was among the invited scientists to present at the 11th Conference of Society for Ecological Restoration Europe 2018 (SERE2018) held in Iceland from 9-13 September, 2018.
The main theme was Restoration in the Era of Climate Change. This addressed a variety of issues, including safeguarding of biodiversity, combating land degradation and desertification, and mitigation of climate change. Iceland has experienced large-scale ecosystem degradation and collapse over the last millennia but is also a showcase of successful restoration efforts. The conference offered a broad international forum for discussing the severe environmental threats to Earth’s ecosystems and human societies, and the role of ecological restoration in providing solutions to the problems.
"The meeting added great exposure and enthusiasm in the fields of sustainable land management. It was so inspiring to interact with 400 great scientists from 48 countries across the continents. The sharing of knowledge and experiences enriched the participation and possible collaboration plans were drafted. The participation at this conference inspired me to start restoration project in the agricultural land and their catchments in my country," says Nyirenda.
The Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) program, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), develops agricultural scientists and increases agricultural research capacity in Feed the Future partner countries, including Bangladesh. The program is named after Dr. Norman Borlaug, an American biologist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate who has been called “the father of the Green Revolution.”
BHEARD gives scholarships to students seeking master’s and doctorate degrees at U.S. and regional universities, and provides funding for agricultural research in their home countries. The program also develops, tests and evaluates new models of small-scale institutional capacity development.
