Spotlight on sustainable development

ACRONYMS abound at UCT. Indeed the plethora is enough to confuse even the longest serving and most knowledgeable among the University's community. But the acronym of the moment is WSSD (World Summit for Sustainable Development), to be held in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4.

It is a highly anticipated international event and many UCT academics and several students will be involved in various events and sessions. As an academic institution with a long and proud history, UCT has been at the forefront of many initiatives underpinning sustainable development, regionally, nationally and within the sub-continent. We have dedicated this bumper edition of Monday Paper to current issues concerned with sustainable development.

The spotlight in this issue also falls on research case studies that showcase UCT's proactive role in various aspects of sustainable development.

These projects have been highlighted by members of the UCT Partnership for a Sustainable Environment, which was born of the Environment Thrust. The proposal for The Partnership was recently approved by the University Strategic Committee (USC).

Among its aims, The Partnership will develop guiding principles and tools to explore a multi- and trans-disciplinary approach to all that defines sustainability. It will promote UCT's collective capacity in environment-related research, teaching and outreach.

Importantly, it will also co-ordinate and facilitate cross-disciplinary research, training and outreach, focusing on the link between socio-economic and bio-physical and management spheres of human interaction with the natural environment.

The regular edition will appear as usual next Monday. Read and enjoy!

– Gerda Kruger
Executive Director
Department of Communication and Marketing

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