Researchers of the AFD-GDN Biodiversity and Development Awards convened for a productive final peer review workshop on the sidelines of the 2023 Global Development Conference to share results and receive feedback on their individual and joint projects exploring biodiversity mainstreaming and set the stage for the publication phase.
The hybrid workshop held at Universidad de San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador facilitated dynamic discussions and networking among participants. Grantees of this program presented the progress of their research and received constructive criticism from peers, advisors, and external experts. Talks covered methodologies, findings, mainstreaming insights, limitations, and dissemination plans.
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"By collectively harnessing expertise in the room, projects undoubtedly can reach new heights in terms of scientific quality, impact, and policy relevance" said Pablo Varela, GDN's Biodiversity and Development Program Manager.
Insights focusing on the experiences challenges and opportunities of incorporating multidisciplinary perspectives into their particular contexts, the stakeholder engagement and policy development processes at the local level were present. Lessons on the importance of dissemination and ways in which GDN can support grantees were shared by GDN’s President Jean Louis Arcand and Director of Programs and Research, Francesco Obino.
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Participants left the workshop with actionable input to strengthen their research. All gained motivation and were challenged to think about different approaches and perspectives to fill project gaps and to propel finalization and dissemination activities.
"The workshop allowed us to see important areas to focus on and enrich the research papers before the publication," remarked Elena Lazos, a Scientific-Technical Advisor of the program.
GDN extends a big thank you to all involved in making the peer review session a worthwhile endeavor.
Participants included:
Learn more about the Biodiversity and Development program. For more information, contact Pablo J. Varela.