SASUF Sustainability Forum 2024

The workshop will provide a teaser of ongoing cutting-edge research in South-Africa and Sweden on the dynamic intersection of environmental microbiology and OneHealth. Environmental microbiology explores the intricate relationships of microorganisms and their environment, shedding light on their role in ecosystem services and global processes, as well as their interactions with their host organisms. Therefore, understanding and harnessing the roles of microorganisms are essential for fostering holistic health solutions such as those proposed by the One Health framework, which recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health and the necessity of comprehensive approaches to achieve global well-being. While, the connection of these two fields is obvious, researchers of the two rarely interact due to different tradiotinal roots (i.e., ecological background of microbial ecology and medical or veterinarian background of OneHealth scientists). Unfortunately, the limited communication leads to limited collaboration. Therefore, in this workshop we aim to bridge this gap through inspirational talks of outstanding transdisciplinary researchers who work actively on transcending the boundaries between these disciplines to create a more integrated framework. 

The organizers of the workshop will give an inspirational talks of their work and the ongoing SASUF project titled: “Evaluation of genomic analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wastewater by enrichment panels as a tool for population-level AMR surveillance and environmental risk assessment”. 
To facilitate the primary aim (i.e., promote collaboration between South African and Swedish researchers working in microbial ecology and OneHealth), the workshop will involve interactive mentimeter facilitated discussions where everyone will be able to express their opinion and interest.

In summary, the participants will gain insights into the pivotal role of microbial ecology in shaping OneHealth strategies and inspiration to explore the realm of each other’s discipline to find innovative and actionable solutions for a healthier, more interconnected world.

Keywords: OneHealth, microbial ecology, environmental protection, ecosystem services