Dr. Frank Thomalla is a Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) where he leads the Stockholm-based group of the “Risk, Livelihoods and Vulnerability Programme” and at the recently established Stockholm Resilience Centre where he acts as co-leader of the research theme “Governance and Ecosystem Management of Coastal and Marine Systems”.

Frank is currently acting as a Lead Author to Chapter 8 “Vulnerability of Human-Environment Systems: Challenges and Opportunities” of the UNEP Global Environment Outlook GEO-4 and as Co-chair of the Working Group A “Predicting Instability – Monitoring and Risk Assessments in Vulnerable Areas and Measures to Avoid Conflict” of the GLOBE-EU / IES Greening European Security Programme.

Frank has a BSc in Oceanography and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and has more than 8 years of professional experience conducting research on the human dimensions of global environmental change, specialising in vulnerability to natural hazards and adaptation to climate change. Before joining the SEI, Frank worked as a Research Associate at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, the Cambridge University Centre for Risk in the Built Environment, and the Cambridge Coastal Research Unit in the UK.

ABSTRACT:

In 2006, Stockholm University received the largest environmental research grant to-date in Sweden by the Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra). From 2007 until 2019 a total of 22 million Euros are to be invested in a new international transdisciplinary institute for research and policy dialogue on sustainable development. The main partners behind the new institute are the Centre for Transdisciplinary Environmental Research at Stockholm University, the Stockholm Environment Institute, and the Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics.

The Institute will conduct internationally leading research on how human welfare and robust ecosystems can co-develop, as well as serving as a platform for dialogue with politicians, authorities and resource users at local, regional and international levels. The Institute’s research will contribute answers to questions of the future such as: How can human societies – from a local to international level – be organized in order to meet future climate change? How can agriculture be reformed so that there is enough food for a growing population? How should networks of marine reserves be shaped in order to secure the world’s future fisheries? How can the level of vulnerability in the megacities of today and tomorrow be reduced?

A three year start-up phase began in early 2007 to establish strategic research priorities, identify theme leaders and research groups, identify ongoing projects and collaborations relevant to the Centre’s research themes, develop new research activities to be supported by the Centre, and to establish collaborative relations with key international partners.

This presentation will provide a review of the progress to-date in establishing the Centre and present preliminary planning relating to the research theme “Governance and Ecosystem Management of Coastal and Marine Systems” as a basis for discussions for the planning of collaborative activities with the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.