Achievement

Trainees organized and presented in a symposium at the American Association of Geographers in New York in February, 2012. The title of the two-session symposium was: "Landscape, livelihoods and environmental change in Southwest China." Following is an edited abstract: Southwest China is a globally recognized region of biological and cultural diversity that has been witness to dramatic environmental changes. However, the changing relationships between people and their environment are not well understood in part because many of these relationships span cultural, economic, ecological and political dimensions. The purpose of this session is to examine the drivers and consequences of changes in local society-environment relationships across spatial scales, ethnic groups, livelihoods and land use systems in this era of rapid transition and transformation throughout southwest China.