Applications of the Human Ecosystems Model (HEM) for Addressing Environmental Challenges in Cities of ASEAN
2005-2007 Project Plan
Introduction
This project plan details the objectives, key elements and activities of the APN Project entitled “Applications of the Human Ecosystems Model (HEM) for Addressing Environmental Challenges in Cities of ASEAN”. Gary Machlis and Peter Marcotullio are co-Principal Investigators for the project. An APN project proposal is available that describes the project rationale and focus.
Objectives
The objectives of the project are to: a) build capacity among ASEAN city managers (at all levels of government) for ecosystem approaches to urban management, b) prepare a policy paper that provides guidelines and policy analysis related to the policy options for urban managers in response to environmental challenges, c) apply the Human Ecosystem Model (HEM) to ASEAN urban ecosystems, and d) develop a cadre of educators within ASEAN that can extend the understanding of the HEM and its application by conducting further trainings within ASEAN after the project is completed.
Advisory Committee
A Project Advisory Committee will be established, composed of academics and professionals with expertise and experience in ASEAN urban ecosystems. The advisory group will: a) provide advice and counsel to the co-PIs on the project, b) evaluate the training workshops and manual, c) review and comment on the draft policy paper, and d) participate in selected training workshops as available. Potential advisory group members are listed in Attachment 2. Marcotullio will be responsible for selecting and organizing the Advisory Group. Both Marcotullio and Machlis will interact with the Advisory Group during the project.
Key Elements
There are three key elements to the project: a) a series of training workshops, b) a training manual, and c) a policy paper. All three are integrated throughout the project.
Training Workshops
The Training Workshops will be designed to train ASEAN city managers (from all levels of government) the basic application of the HEM to management issues in their cities. ASEAN city managers (from all levels of government) will participate in each workshop. This group will be nominated by the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities under direction outlined in the project proposal. Selected members of the Advisory Group, post-doc fellows from UNU, and the UI graduate assistant may also participate.
Each workshop will include one day of training. The program of training will include (but not be limited to): a) an introduction to the ecosystem approach and its advantages, b) an introduction to the HEM, c) a primer on using the HEM, including selection of indicators, collection of data, analysis, and application, d) selected case studies applying the HEM to ASEAN cities, e) exercises in applying the HEM, f) class discussion, and g) evaluation of the workshop experience.
Machlis will lead in the development and conduct of the training, and Marcotullio will assist in developing the training and lead selected sessions as appropriate. The UI graduate research assistant will help prepare the workshop curriculum. Marcotullio and UNU staff will be responsible for the logistics associated with the workshops, including travel, interaction with participants prior to the workshop, lodging, food, and other activities.
Each Training Workshop will be followed by a day of detailed evaluation, discussion of training methods, and other activities designed to develop improvements in the training experience and materials. Machlis will be responsible for developing the evaluation instrument as a short written questionnaire to be completed by each participant. Machlis will be responsible for analysis of questionnaire results.
Training Workshop 1 will pilot test the training materials and experience with approximately 11 ASEAN city managers (from all levels of government). The workshop will be held in Bangkok (at AIT). Training Workshop 2 will further test the refined materials and experience with a different group of approximately 12 ASEAN city managers (from all levels of government). The location of the workshop will be selected sometime before or directly after Workshop 1.
Training Workshop 3 will be organized for educators and other professionals in ASEAN that are interested in serving as trainers themselves. The location will be decided after Workshop 2. The target audience will be academics and professionals in environmental fields that are at an early stage of their careers (i.e., young professionals). The training opportunity will be announced through available networks in ASEAN higher education, and the Advisory Group members will have the opportunity to nominate participants. Interested individuals will apply to participate in the workshop. We estimate training 30 participants that will be accepted into the training workshop. Participants will be provided with a partial travel stipend, daily subsistence allowance, and all training materials.
After each workshop, a brief workshop evaluation report will be prepared by Machlis and Marcotullio. At the conclusion of the project, the three evaluation reports will be synthesized into an overall workshop evaluation, as part of the project final report.
Training Manual
The Training Manual will be designed to augment and enrich the training experience, and to serve as a reference tool for participants after the training is completed. Machlis, with assistance from the UI graduate research assistant, is responsible for development of the training manual. Marcotullio will provide review and comment, and prepare sections of the manual as appropriate.
The Training Manual will include (but not be limited to): a) an introduction to the ecosystem approach and its advantages, b) an introduction to the HEM, c) a primer on using the HEM, including selection of indicators, collection of data, analysis, and application, d) selected case studies applying the HEM to ASEAN cities, e) exercises in applying the HEM, and f) references, bibliography, and available sources of additional information.
The final Training Manual will be in published as a CD, for use by participants in future training experiences and as a reference tool. The CD will be designed by a UI graduate student in graphic design, and produced in the US. 150 copies of the CD will be produced, and a distribution plan will be developed and implemented in consultation with the Advisory Group.
Policy Paper
The policy paper will focus on the use of the HEM in developing sound policies for ASEAN cities to deal with the impacts of environmental challenges. The policy paper will include guidelines for applying HEM to policy responses related to issues, as well as an analysis of key issues where the HEM can help fill policy gaps.
Machlis and Marcotullio will co-author the policy paper. The UI graduate research assistant will provide technical support, literature review, and may be a co-author. The draft policy paper will be reviewed by the Advisory Group and other scientific experts following a formal peer review process. Marcotullio will be responsible for managing the review by the Advisory Group; Machlis will be responsible for managing the review by other scientific experts. The final paper may be published as a UNU document as appropriate, and distributed to relevant and interested parties.
Project Schedule
Table 1 shows the general schedule and milestones for the key elements of the project. The final report to APN/IAS will be delivered at the conclusion of the project, and will include: a) the workshop evaluation reports, b) the final version of the CD training manual (and all source materials in raw format), and c) the policy paper as a finished document suitable for submission to either UNU or peer-reviewed journal publication.
Table 1: Project Schedule and Milestones
September 2005Project initiated
October 2005co-PI planning meeting, Moscow (USA)
January 2006Work begun on Training Manual Draft 1
13 February 2006Advisory Group Meeting, Singapore
February 2006Work on policy paper begun
June 2006Workshop 1, Bangkok
September 2006Progress report to APN
December 2006Revisions to Training Manual for Draft 2
January 2007Workshop 2, location TBD
February 2007Policy paper draft completed, sent for review
April 2007Policy paper reviews received
May 2007Revisions to Training Manual for Draft 3
June 2007Workshop 3, location TBD
July 2007Final policy paper prepared
August 2007Final Training Manual prepared
September 2007Final report to APN
Appendix A
Advisory Committee
(tentative list)
A.H. Zakri (UNU-IAS, Japan)
Gopal Thapa (AIT, Thailand)
Raman Letchumanan (Environment Unit, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia)
Loh Ah Tuan (Chairman, ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities, Singapore)
Mohd Nordin Hasan (UKM-The National University of Malaysia)
Louis Lebel (Chiang Mai University, Thailand)
Ooi Giok-ling (National Institute of Education, Singapore)