News

South African National Parks (SANParks) will host the 8th Garden Route Interface and Networking (GRIN) Meeting from 13 – 15 October 2026 in Knysna. This brings together researchers, scientists, conservation practitioners and environmental managers to explore the complex inter-relationships between people and nature.

This annual meeting provides a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences on social-ecological systems. It focuses on exploring and understanding the interactions between society and the natural environment and how these relationships influence conservation and sustainable development outcomes for a thriving humanity and planet.

Discussions will address key issues, including the relationship between science, policy and practice, human-nature connections, inclusive conservation, environmental governance, climate change and the evolving role of protected areas within broader, multi-use landscapes. The meeting aims to strengthen collaboration and encourage the application of scientific and experiential expertise and knowledge to the multitude of conservation and environmental management needs and challenges of our time.

SANParks is hosting GRIN 2026 in partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Sustainability Research Unit (SRU) at Nelson Mandela University, and the Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES). The meeting reinforces the importance of collaboration between researchers and practitioners in developing informed approaches to conservation, strengthening environmental stewardship and navigating the challenges facing interconnected social and ecological systems.