Date & Time: 10 April 2025, 15:00–17:00
Registration here
Workshop 1 : Role-playing game workshop: Speaking as a Proxy for Non-Humans in Defending the Rights of the Rhine
Facilitators: Yixin Cao, Thomas Wendt
Assistant: Arthur Doan
Workshop Overview
The Rhine River has long been subjected to human-centered (anthropocentric) management, often overlooking the interests and rights of non-human entities inhabiting its watershed. In this interactive session, participants will form a "river parliament/assembly" to advocate on behalf of non-human species—including the river itself—as they collaboratively envision the Rhine's future (e.g., restoration, conservation). Through role-play, group discussions, and art-based activities, the workshop aims to broaden our understanding of river governance by incorporating non-human perspectives.
Objectives
Highlight the importance of neglected non-human perspectives in river/water governance.
Co-develop a holistic river restoration scenario (e.g., envisioning the desired river in 20 years) that upholds non-human rights.
Use role-playing, art storytelling to reflect on human-nonhuman relationships related to water.
Intended Participants
9 participants (at least; then better 18, 27).
Roles include representative non-human species plus “Mother River.”
Suitable for anyone (only basic ecological/environmental knowledge needed)
Workshop 2 : Perceptions of Overlapping Protected Areas: Stakeholder Insights from Riverine and Terrestrial Landscapes in the Alsace Region (and France)
Facilitators: Silvia Cardascia, Mathieu Behr
Assistant: Zoé Dufour
Objectives
- Explore how stakeholders perceive the value, tensions, and challenges related to multiple conservation designations or overlapping protected areas of riverine and terrestrial landscapes in the Alsace region (or more broadly France).
- Understand how actors experience the continuum between strict nature conservation and sustainable use in real-world landscapes.
- Identify visions for better harmonized governance of freshwater and riparian protected areas.
Workshop 3: Co-creation of Resources on Landscape Ecology
Facilitator: Marc Deconchat
Landscape ecology in France is vibrant and encompasses a wide range of themes and approaches that are constantly evolving. By leveraging abundant and novel data, along with increasingly effective tools and methods, it addresses emerging challenges and responds to concrete needs in urban, agricultural, and forested territories. However, creating a comprehensive picture of these activities and identifying their connections remains challenging, making it difficult to consolidate and share the knowledge gained.
The goal of the workshop is to collectively explore ways to better highlight the progress, specificities, and practical applications of landscape ecology within the French context. One possible avenue to explore during the workshop is the co-creation of a book that updates a synthesis on landscape ecology in France. Other ideas, such as a wiki, a series of conferences, a new MOOC, etc., may also be discussed.
