The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) is an interdisciplinary research centre of the University of Bern. CDE’s overarching goal is to produce and share knowledge for sustainable development in cooperation with partners in the global North and South.
CDE works to promote sustainable development and solve problems related to global environmental, social, and economic change. Together with partners in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, CDE conducts research to develop innovative concepts and solutions for the sustainable use of land and water resources. CDE also offers a range of services that are closely linked to research. These include consulting, teaching, and the development of geoinformation products (e.g. web-based decision-support tools and digital maps) for planners and decision-makers. One of CDE’s central concerns is to foster dialogue between science and society while contributing to global debates on sustainability and development.
Themes
They have identified six thematic clusters that represent key strategic opportunities for CDE to enhance the relevance and reputation of its contribution to sustainable development. In three of these, they will address sustainable development from a comprehensive perspective, focusing on core issues and competencies. To complement this, they will pursue thematic specialisation in a further three thematic clusters.
- Global change impacts on sustainable development
- Innovations for sustainable development
- Education and training for sustainable development
- Natural resources and ecosystem services
- Multidimensional disparities
- Governance of land and natural resources
Services
In addition to its strategic fields of activity, CDE also provides a number of tools and services. These include advice and consulting, editing and translation, and GIS.
- Advice and Consulting
- Editing and Translation
- Geoinformatics
Regions
- Horn of Africa
- East Africa
- Central Asia
- Southeast Asia
- South America
- Europe – Switzerland
Courses and Programmes
CDE offers a Bachelor Minor and a CAS, both in Sustainable Development. Within the International Graduate School North-South, a collaborative programme for PhD students run by the universities of Basel, Zurich, and Bern, the CDE conducts courses on natural resource use, rural development, governance, global disparities, etc. In addition, CDE employees are engaged in supervision, curricula development, and teaching at the Department of Integrative Geography, University of Bern, as well as at partner universities abroad.
- Bachelor Minor in Sustainable Development (German), CDE
- BSc and MSc courses, Department of Integrative Geography
- PhD studies, IGS North-South
- Postgraduate training and further education
- CAS in Sustainable Development (German)
