Conference Topics

The 3rd International GORILLA conference will be organized around the following topics;

1. Geographies of Climate Change, Climate Justice and Just Transition: Spaces and patterns

The Paris Agreement of 2015 set a critical threshold for climate change at 1.5°C, emphasizing the urgency of mitigating global temperature rise. Unfortunately, recent years have seen unprecedented spikes in temperatures and increments in occurrence of extreme events. This alarming trend underscores the pressing need for action on climate change, climate justice, and just transitions. As we grapple with the impacts of climate change, there is a growing recognition of the need to understand the broader context beyond just the physical processes. Achieving climate justice and facilitating just transitions are integral aspects of addressing the climate crisis. This requires examining the social, economic, and political dimensions of climate change and exploring strategies for equitable and sustainable responses. This subtheme invites abstracts that offer comprehensive perspectives on the topic, spanning diverse disciplines, including meteorology, social geography, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies. Abstracts may explore aspects of climate science, climate injustice, analyse the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and propose solutions for building resilience and promoting equitable transitions to a low-carbon future.

2. Biodiversity Informatics, sustainable ecosystems, landscapes and people 

This subtheme aims to showcase research, case studies, and best practices that demonstrate the importance of integrating biodiversity informatics, sustainable ecosystem management, landscape conservation, and human well-being in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development efforts. Biodiversity informatics, sustainable ecosystems, landscapes, and people are interconnected in the context of human-environment interactions. How can we harness technology, data, and information systems on biodiversity to enhance thrivability of ecological and societal systems? How can we combine biodiversity informatics, sustainable ecosystem management, and landscape conservation to achieve conservation goals while supporting human well-being? What are the essential capacities and education required to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management? This subtheme seeks submissions that explore the intersections between biodiversity informatics, sustainable ecosystem management, landscape conservation, and the well-being of human communities.

Green growth and transitions to land degradation neutrality and net zero

Green growth and transitions to land degradation neutrality offers a holistic approach to addressing the interconnected challenges of environmental degradation, climate change, and sustainable development providing valuable insights for shaping transformative pathways toward a more sustainable and resilient future. Green growth and transitions to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and net zero represent critical pathways for achieving sustainable development and combating environmental degradation. The LDN target under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims at achieving a balance between land degradation and restoration activities. This subtheme will entertain abstracts that address science and innovations for halting and reversing land degradation, including sustainable land management practices, reforestation and afforestation, soil conservation, water security, catchment restoration and watershed science, circular economy, resource efficiency, policy and governance frameworks needed to support transitions to land degradation neutrality. 

4. Interconnected Geohazards and Disasters in a Changing World

The compendium of geohazards in various geographies presents ongoing challenges in socioecological systems, leading to recurrent disasters. Over the past decade, there has been a notable surge in geohazards, extreme weather events, pandemics, epidemics, and human-induced disasters. These multifaceted hazards often intersect and exacerbate each other within fluid contexts, amplifying vulnerabilities and risks in socioecological systems. Despite some progress, the midterm review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction highlights that significant gaps persist in addressing the escalating frequency and impact of disasters worldwide. This subtheme invites submissions that contribute to understanding the contexts and dimensions of hazards and disasters, as well as showcasing successful interventions aimed at mitigating their effects.

5. Polycrisis: Migration, Displacement, Conflict and Humanitarianism

An increasingly polycrisis world! There are increasing interactions and overlaps of stressing socioecological processes, culminating into migrations, displacement, conflict and humanitarianism. Migration and displacement processes whether stemming from natural or human conditions are highly complex processes globally. processes Migration and displacement continue to be a serious process globally with a plethora of drivers and consequences. The number of conflicts, whether that be war-induced or environment-induced conflicts, and the ensuing migration, displacement and humanitarian crises have increased and intensified globally. While these processes continue to unfold, the typologies, pathways, drivers and patterns as well as opportunities emanating from migration and the ‘aid industry’ remain unclear. About 300 million people globally will need humanitarian assistance due to environmental change and conflicts. This subtheme seeks submissions of abstracts that highlight socio-ecological issues in migration, displacement and conflict inter-alia including, drivers and triggers, actors, patterns, typologies, opportunities and consequences.  

6. The changing Geography of Agrifood Systems

This subtheme will examine the changing geography of agrifood systems contributing to a better understanding of the complex interactions between agriculture, food, society, and the environment, and informs strategies for building sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems. The changing geography of agrifood systems encompasses the evolving spatial dynamics, patterns, and processes associated with food production, distribution, and consumption in response to various socio-economic, environmental, and technological factors. This interdisciplinary field explores how global trends, such as urbanization, globalization, climate change, and technological advancements, are reshaping agricultural landscapes, food supply chains, and dietary patterns. How do we transition towards more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems based on principles of agroecology, organic farming, and regenerative agriculture? How can urban agriculture enhance urban food security, promote local food production and foster community resilience?

7. Nature Best solutions for inclusive and equitable development  

Nature Based Solutions (NBS) have recently gained increasing attention as a promising approach to addressing global sustainable development challenges in an inclusive and equitable manner. NBS leverage the inherent benefits of nature to provide solutions to environmental, social, and economic problems. While there is growing enthusiasm for NBS, there is also debate about whether they represent a genuine game-changer or simply a repackaging of traditional environmental conservation practices. The science of nature best solutions in most geographies is largely nascent and just emerging. By critically examining the complexities and nuances of NBS, this subtheme aims to advance our understanding of their potential role as transformative solutions for addressing global sustainable development challenges. We solicit for abstracts that explore the multidimensional nature of NBS, including their ecological, social, and economic dimensions. This may include assessing the environmental benefits of NBS in terms of biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and carbon sequestration, as well as their social and economic co-benefits, such as improved livelihoods, community resilience, and cultural heritage preservation.

8. Emerging and novel technologies for societal resilience

GEO-ICT technologies and innovations emphasizes the transformative potential of these tools in addressing sustainable development challenges and advancing the goals outlined in Agenda 2030. A wide range of technologies, including Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), Remote Sensing, Precision Agriculture, Earth Observation Systems, drone systems, citizen science, artificial intelligence, and digitalization, are highlighted for their revolutionary capabilities in addressing complex issues across various sectors such as agriculture, environment, food security, disaster management, entrepreneurship, value chains, and social inequality. This theme welcomes submissions showcasing the potential and practical applications of novel technologies in resolving sustainable development issues and building resilient and adaptive societies.

Sustainable Cities and Urban Systems in SSA

Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is expected to increasingly urbanize with the largest proportion of the population settling in African cities by 2050. Are cities territories of enhanced of risks “city as a risk area” or entities of transformative development opportunities? The configuration of the ultimate cities culminating from the urbanization processes in SSA is critical as to whether the city emerges as a risk area or an entity of opportunities. Urbanization with its density of infrastructure can be associated with both negative effects but also creates new chances and opportunities. While the pull of the cities often creates problems for rural regions in the industrialized countries, massive urban population growth is posing great challenges for the metropolises in many countries of the Global South. For often enough, the growth of cities exceeds the capacity of authorities to develop and maintain adequate social and physical infrastructure. One of the most pressing results is the formation of marginal settlements in which urban dwellers lack basic civil rights and often compete for ill-paid jobs and low food availability. They are especially vulnerable towards natural hazards.

9. Geographies of Energy and Energy Transitions

This subtheme is focused on submissions that elevate our understanding of the complex interactions between energy systems, society, and the environment, and inform efforts to promote sustainable and resilient energy futures. What energy systems exist and how does the world successfully transition from fossil fuels toward more sustainable and resilient alternatives? Abstracts tackling energy use and transitions including energy typologies and utility at varied scales, spatial dynamics of energy transitions, energy resources, energy infrastructure and networks, energy consumption patterns, governance and policy will be accepted under this subtheme.