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What We Do >> Events >> ANZSYS Forum
The 12th Australia New Zealand Systems Society Conference
“Sustaining our Social and Natural Capital"
3rd – 6th December 2006
Carrington Hotel, Katoomba, NSW Australia
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Conference Attendees - Click to view larger image
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Co-hosts:
- Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute
- Action Learning Action Research and Process Management Association (ALARPM)
- Society for Organisational Learning (SOLA) Australia
- ISCE Events, Mansfield, USA
Our efforts to sustain our communities, and the natural environments
that support them, are challenged by our ability to communicate
effectively between our different forms of knowledge. Respect for
diversity and difference, drawing upon all our methods of inquiry and
advocacy, and learning to find common ground, are all part of the
integrative approach needed to address the complexity of the challenges
we face.
This conference was an opportunity for practitioners from broad
ranging traditions to share their experiences regarding integrative and
innovative approaches that can make a difference.
Communities living alongside the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area are
both aware of the significant local natural and cultural heritage,
while being increasingly influenced by urbanisation due to the
proximity of Sydney. This was a particularly relevant location for a
conference addressing these issues. The language of ‘natural and social
capital’ is now well entrenched in international policy rhetoric, but
our sense of connectedness in our communities and organisations
continues to erode, along with the integrity of our natural and
agricultural ecologies. This conference sought to celebrate the
initiatives we are involved in, while critically considering how we can
learn from other’s experiences to enhance our own practice.
This conference was relevant to people from broad ranging backgrounds and experience, including:
- Practitioners
involved in natural resource management and policy, community
engagement, environmental governance, community development;
sustainable business development, and ecotourism.
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Natural and social scientists, facilitators, communicators, educators,
community advocates, and traditional custodians, who are interested in
crossing boundaries of knowledge and methodologies.
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Systems practitioners, action researchers, organisational learning
practitioners, and those involved in integrative approaches such as
integrated catchment management, adaptive management, cultural
development, and environmental education.
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Practitioners who embrace systems principles in the design, evolution
and operation of engineering systems.
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People who communicate and facilitate learning through storytelling,
art, music, and alternative means of expression.
Conference design:
Plenary sessions, and follow on workshops were organised around the following thematic clusters:
- Resilience, ecology and governance,
- Cultural knowledge and heritage,
- Creativity, organization and complexity,
- Systems thinking and dynamics,
- Social sustainability and community,
- Livelihood, innovation and opportunity,
- Language, learning and transdisciplinary practice,
- Engineering systems and infrastructure design.
An inclusive and conversational conference design was developed,
with facilitators supporting a process of: mentoring submitted papers
through formal peer review;organising plenary panels of papers relating
to thematic clusters; developing issues raised through ‘open-space’
workshop conversations; and supporting break out workshops and local
field visits.
Additional key elements of the conference included:
- ‘Welcome to country’ to respect traditional custodians,
- ‘Circle of elders’ conversation with invited leading practitioners,
- ‘Marketplace’ for showcasing organisations, businesses and products.
- Field trips to local initiatives and places of significance.
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