About the program

Graduate Program in Conservation and Sustainability (PPGCS)

Federal University of São Carlos

The Graduate Program in Conservation and Sustainability (PPGCS) at the Federal University of São Carlos offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates the fields of Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Agrarian Sciences. The program explores new perspectives on the environmental challenges of the contemporary world, with a focus on the interactions within socio-ecological systems.

Mission

Ensure an excellent academic qualification for our students, equipping them with both theoretical and methodological expertise in multi- and interdisciplinary approaches. The program aims to enhance students' analytical capacities for investigating socio-ecological systems, thereby enabling them to undertake qualified interventions in conservation and sustainability processes, with a focus on the multifunctionality of landscapes through a critical, scientific, and interdisciplinary lens.

Vision

Advance the development of cutting-edge scientific knowledge to understand conservation processes and the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. The program is committed to disseminating this knowledge to society at large, supporting public and private decision-making spheres, and contributing to formulating and implementing public policies. It also aims to foster active engagement in public spaces led by civil society and social movements.

Objectives

The PPGCS's guiding objectives are organized into five key areas: professional training, research, innovation and knowledge transfer, societal impact, and internationalization.

  1. Professional Training: Educate highly qualified professionals with a solid theoretical and scientific foundation, along with the technical and analytical skills necessary to interpret environmental issues and conservation needs in their societal contexts.
  2. Research: Produce leading-edge science across various fields of knowledge, disseminated through scientific publications, books, and technical reports, with research serving as both a means and an outcome of graduate training.
  3. Innovation and Knowledge Transfer: Establish partnerships with public and private organizations to disseminate knowledge developed within the program, fostering dialogue and sustained interaction between scientists, technical experts, and the public. This includes the publication of scientific work and the hosting of academic events.
  4. Outreach and Communication: Create tools for scientific dissemination using accessible language for non-specialists, supported by social media, audiovisual resources, and integrated information technology tools.
  5. Internationalization: Consolidate and expand research and development partnerships with international higher education institutions, establishing the program as a reference for the global scientific community focused on conservation and sustainability.

In this context, the PPGCS aims to achieve the following specific objectives:

  • Develop interdisciplinary research on biodiversity conservation and sustainability.
  • Observe, analyze, systematize, and generate both basic and applied knowledge to guide the rational and sustainable use of natural resources.
  • Generate new knowledge from multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary perspectives, emphasizing the understanding of the environment, its conservation, human integration, and landscape intervention.
  • Investigate the role of the state and other social actors in promoting biodiversity conservation.
  • Study peasant and family agroecosystems, focusing on food and nutritional security and sovereignty.
  • Diagnose economic, social, and environmental impacts to propose measures for the conservation/restoration of environmental services.
  • Address the regional need for postgraduate training of professionals capable of working in biodiversity conservation and sustainability.
  • Contribute to the improvement of the qualifications of teachers in the region's primary and secondary education.