Transdisciplinary Inception Phase
In the beginning of the project we devoted our time to a joint problem definition together with stakeholders in the study regions. In a PhD training course in Switzerland we jointly developed the conceptual understanding and methods, to work in a comparative manner between the three countries.
First field missions in Madagascar, Myanmar, and Laos
In April 2016 we conducted our first field missions in the three study countries. Research teams in the three countries were joined by Swiss researchers from CDE and ETHZ. With this first field visit we selected our case study sites (2 per country) which reflect different stages of telecoupled land use changes. In the field we conducted stakeholder workshops at the regional and local (village) levels to get a first understanding of land use changes and the different actors linked to these changes. At village level we conducted household interviews and transect walks to collect preliminary data on socio-economic and land use and changes needed by all work packages.
PhD and PostDoc Training Course
In September 2016 we conducted two weeks of training for our PhDs and PostDocs from Madagascar, Laos, and Switzerland. We engaged in intensive discussions on concepts and methods, worked on the different PhD students’ research proposals, and prepared for the next field missions. During a social event we could show our guests from Madagascar and Laos some of the Swiss mountainous landscapes and taste a cheese fondue.