Southeast Asian Science-Policy Advisory Network for
Global Environmental Change
(SEA-SPAN)
The Southeast Asian Science-Policy Advisory Network for Global
Environmental Change (SEA-SPAN) arose out of the START-sponsored
workshop Living with Global Change: Improving the Links between
Science and Policy in Southeast Asia, held at the Impacts Centre
for Southeast Asia (IC-SEA) in Bogor, Indonesia, in August 1996.
The workshop was particularly significant in raising awareness
amongst the scientific community about the complexities of the public
policy process in the region.
In May 1997, a discussion list (SEA-SPAN-L) and a web page hosted by
IC-SEA were launched to support the network. The main role of
SEA-SPAN-L to date has been to distribute information about current
news, events and information sources of relevance to policy and
environmental change in the region.
Two issues which have generated more substantial debate and
discussion on this list are: the integration of conservation and
development in agricultural production landscapes; and transboundary
air pollution arising from land conversion in these areas.
Membership of SEA-SPAN-L in February 1998 stood at just over 170
with an average of between eight and nine postings a week.
In the future we are hopeful that the SEA-SPAN discussion list will
evolve a role as a forum for the drafting and critical review of
working documents of relevance to policy responses to global
environmental change. We also intend to use the forum to help prepare
briefing materials and the agenda for future Science-Policy meetings.
Visitors to the Web site can view sorted archives and up-to-date
information on SEA-SPAN activities at:
http://www.bogor.indo.net.id/IC-SEA/SEA-SPAN/.
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