Recently, students from the programme participated in an excursion to various forest and grassland landscapes in Östergötland. Right now, they are in the middle of the course “Sustainable Resources Management”, where focus is on how resource management, the environment and societal development are connected in the search for strategies and solutions that can address the most pressing global challenges.
Conservation biologist Karl-Olof Bergman, guided students through different landscapes; clear cuttings, different generations of production forests and preserved natural forests Joining the excursion was also Robin Blomdin, course responsible for the “SRM” course.
“The excursion provides an opportunity for students to do a deep dive on a local resource management issue. This year we learn about the forestry management in Östergötland”, he explains.
“Leaving the classroom gives you a completely different kind of access, even if it’s just forests” says student Jannis Hansmann, and continues: “Being on-site gives you a more grounded sense of what all this theoretical matter actually looks like in real life”.
Student Sumera Sulaiman shares Jannis’ experience of the excursion. “It was a very meaningful and thought-provoking experience to go out and explore the issues on site, as it drives and motivates us further to take action to solve the current problems and create a better and greener future than now”, she says.
What can be achieved by adding field excursions to the programme?
Student Johanna Johansson says that for her, it was the insight of the vastness of the problem and the forest management and production of Swedish forestry. “I will never be able to go through Sweden and look at the forest the same way ever again”, she says.
“It is a different way of experiencing and accessing information than just reading literature, and I will see the forest with other eyes from now on and maybe start analyzing what purpose the forest has the next time I am walking through one”, says student Julia Martens.
How does the programme contribute to understanding complex sustainability challenges?
“The program really looks at sustainability from multiple levels and perspectives, where this field trip was a good example of both a relatively localized and a national problem, and how forest management poses problems when you start to shift your focus from the short-term economic perspective”, says Johanna Johansson.
Madelen Karlson agrees and adds that it highlights the controversies between forest production efficiency and the importance of a biodiverse forest.
In a world facing increasing environmental challenges, sustainable resource management is a key factor. The master’s programme Science for Sustainable Development provides students with both theoretical studies and hands-on experience.
