Added-value collaboration between academic research&local stakeholders
Panel Discussion
Location: Room 2 : Salle Mohammed Abed al Jabri - 26/03/2026, 14:00 - 26/03/2026, 15:30 (CET) (1 hour 30 minutes)

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Session chair: Prof. Stefan Lang, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg (Austria)


Collective contribution 


Dr. Lobna Boudaya - University of Sfax, Sfax (Tunisia)

Mr. Zaahid Khan - University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa)

PhD Khady Diallo -  Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels (Belgium)

Mr. Djibril Mangane  - Enda ECOPOP, Dakar (Senegal),  
Dr. Lorenz Wendt - Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg (Austria) 
Mr. Thierry De Coster - Ucoopia NGO / Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels (Belgium)



This panel proposes to analyze the specific contributionon of partnerships between African and European universities and civil society organizations (CSOs), including Ucoopia to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) within the framework of the climate, environment, and energy nexus. Coastal ecosystems, particularly mangroves and seagrass meadows, represent critical socio-ecological systems increasingly exposed to anthropogenic and climatic pressures. 
Universities generate robust analytical frameworks—ecological inventories, socio-ecological resilience assessments, climate impact modeling, and social science research—while CSOs/NGOs ensure the translation of such knowledge into practice, simultaneously providing empirical data and feedback that in turn stimulate new scientific questions. 

This science–society interface constitutes a research–action–transformation continuum, enabling the production of contextualized knowledge, testing its applicability, and informing public policies. Particular atention will be given to the importance of designing and financing projects in the areas of mitigation (emission reduction and carbon sink protection), adaptation (local capacity-building, conomic and energy diversification), and compensation (loss and damage) when impacts are irreversible. 
By convening scholars and practitioners from environmental sciences, climate and geosciences, economics, law, public health (OneHealth), and education, the panel will illustrate the conditions under which Africa–Europe collaboration can foster transdisciplinary knowledge production, contribute to the energy transition, and strengthen both climate resilience and environmental governance. 


Questions for the audience


  • How can collaboration between universities and civil society organisations (CSOs) be strengthened to translate scientific research into concrete actions for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in Southern Mediterranean countries? 
  • Which participatory approaches and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) tools can best support co-management of coastal resources while integrating local knowledge and nature-based solutions? 
  • How can Africa–Europe cooperation enhance knowledge transfer, capacity building, and the establishment of sustainable governance models that balance conservation, development, and the blue economy?

Africa Charter for Transformative 
Research Collaboration