Exploring and expanding transdisciplinary research for sustainable and just natural resource management

Wolff, Margaret G.; Cockburn, Jessica; Wet, Chris L. de; Bezerra, Joana; Weaver, Matthew; Finca, Andiswa; Vos, Alta De; Ralekhetla, Mateboho Mary; Libala, Notiswa; Mkabile, Qawekazi B.; Odume, Oghenekaro Nelson; Palmer, Carolyn G.

doi:10.5751/es-11077-240414

Cited by 29 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…We propose that the Triple-S heuristic is a relational space within which transdisciplinary researchers engage with themselves, their research and practice communities as well as research institutions. Out of the Triple-S heuristic emerges the realization that conducting transdisciplinary research is a deeply relational process (Cundill et al 2019;Wolff et al 2019). Following the principle of relationality (Preiser 2019), transdisciplinary research can be understood as a process that emerges at the interface of Science, Society and Self: connecting the researcher, the society in which they are embedded, and the academic system in which they operate.…”

Section: Navigating the Triple-s As A Relational Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a caring transdisciplinary research practice: navigating science, society and self

Sellberg

Cockburn

Holden

et al. 2021

Ecosystems and People

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Transdisciplinary research that bridges science and society is needed to address the complex social-ecological sustainability challenges we are facing. However, many transdisciplinary researchers grapple with balancing the competing demands of scientific rigour and excellence, societal impact and engagement, and self-care. This is especially evident in the growing literature by early-career researchers describing the challenges of pursuing a transdisciplinary research career in social-ecological sustainability research. To guide discussion and reflection towards a flourishing transdisciplinary research practice, we synthesized our own and other researchers' experiences of using a transdisciplinary approach and formulated the heuristic of the 'Triple-S': caring for Science, Society and Self. This heuristic adds the frequently overlooked personal aspects of transdisciplinary research. Current dominant academic structures, cultures and metrics of success are not supporting a balanced and flourishing transdisciplinary research practice, but rather creating and exacerbating the tradeoffs between these three aspects. As an example of a solutions-oriented approach, we developed a theory of change to address the changes we see are necessary to enable a transdisciplinary research practice in line with the Triple-S. We hope that this will foster academic environments where transdisciplinary research practice can flourish and the next generation of researchers are not burnt-out, but empowered.

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Section: Navigating the Triple-s As A Relational Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a caring transdisciplinary research practice: navigating science, society and self

Sellberg

Cockburn

Holden

et al. 2021

Ecosystems and People

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Management of environmental resources (Figure 3) is commonly framed in terms of sustainable development (Hallowes et al, 2008;Cumming et al, 2017;Falayi et al, 2019;Wolff et al, 2019), but an alternative viewpoint is where socioecological processes between people and the environment are also considered (e.g., Bowd et al, 2015;Ramos-Mejía et al, 2018;Fedele et al, 2020;Herrfahrdt-Pähle et al, 2020). Here, human activity can be viewed as either an integrated element of the Earth system and synergistically influencing ecological processes and ecosystem services through feedback processes (Swemmer et al, 2019;Musakwa et al, 2020a;Ragie et al, 2020), or as an external driver of irreversible environmental change and degradation (D'Alessandro and Zulu, 2017;Schmiedel et al, 2017;Ashukem, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have examined how communities make use of environmental resources in their immediate localities, illustrating the local-scale relationships of people to their surrounding environments (e.g., Hoffman et al, 2007;Casale et al, 2010;Thondhlana and Muchapondwa, 2014;Cole et al, 2017;Omisore, 2018;Falayi et al, 2019;Ragie et al, 2020). These relationships have often been examined in the context of resource sustainability, by which the use of certain environmental resources is evaluated over time with respect to changes in resource properties and their availability (e.g., Hallowes et al, 2008;Swemmer et al, 2019;Wolff et al, 2019). However, this analysis of relationships between different communities and environmental resources is usually based on localized and individual case studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of nexus studies provide local examples of physical-human relationships; only few studies have examined the links between physical-human nexuses to broader aspects of sustainability and the SDGs. For example, Ramutsindela (2003), Wolff et al (2019) and Musakwa et al (2020a) described landuse management implications of the physical-human nexus with specific reference to urbanization, land reform and tenure, and their relationships to nature and biodiversity conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental Services: A New Approach Toward Addressing Sustainable Development Goals in Sub-Saharan Africa

Knight¹

2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The physical environment provides resources and specific types of environmental services relevant to the maintenance of human livelihoods globally and with specific reference to sub-Saharan Africa, including soils, food, and water systems. Previous studies on the shared nexus of such resources commonly view these as self-contained systems operating independent of their physical contexts provided by landscape-scale geomorphology and its related processes. This study critically examines the viewpoints adopted by such nexus studies with specific reference to sub-Saharan Africa, arguing that these studies are reductive, considering only the shared disciplinary overlap (nexus) and not their wider contexts, and are based on only a limited understanding of the workings of physical systems. This study argues that considering the attributes of the physical landscape and its provision of environmental services provides a broader and scientifically-informed context for understanding of interlinked issues such as relationships between soil–food–water systems. Framing such “nexus” studies in this wider context can derive a better understanding of the connections between different elements such as soil, food, and water, amongst others, and with respect to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The concept of environmental services is therefore a more powerful tool to examine both the connections between physical and human environmental processes and properties in sub-Saharan Africa, and to address overarching environmental issues such as land degradation, soil erosion loss, water scarcity, and impacts of climate change.

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“…There is an inherent need for such approaches in water governance, but these have not been well represented in the literature (Araral and Wang, 2013). While some promising examples exist in the South African context (e.g., Weaver et al, 2017;Wolff et al, 2019), further encouragement is required.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of trends in scientific coverage of water governance in South Africa and what this means for agenda-setting of public investment in water governance R&D

Jacobs-Mata

Mukuyu

Dini

2021

WSA

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A review of global trends in water governance reveals a paradigm dominated by political and institutional change which becomes increasingly aligned with global shifts towards sustainability and also a rapid decline in the hydraulic mission. Closely aligned to these trends, but distinct in its own trajectory, South Africa’s water governance dynamics have evolved through a period of considerable socio-political change marked by inequitable resource allocation and water scarcity. This paper presents the results of a review of water governance research and development (R&D) trends in South Africa, aimed at informing the national funding agency – the Water Research Commission (WRC) – in its agenda-setting process for future water governance research. Through a bibliometric analysis, a data-mining exercise, and stakeholder consultations, this paper distils four key areas of focus for the future of water governance research in South Africa: (i) that future water governance research needs to be more needs-based, solution-oriented and embedded within real-life contexts; (ii) the need for a paradigm shift in water governance research to a constructive, adaptive and rapid response research agenda in an environment of increasing change and uncertainty; (iii) the need for the enabling environment to be strengthened, including acknowledgement of the role of individuals as agents of change, and the role of WRC in establishing a community of practice for water governance experts that can respond to issues with agility; and (iv) a consolidation of fragmented project-based knowledge to a programmatic approach that builds the pipeline of expertise in the water governance R&D domain.

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Exploring and expanding transdisciplinary research for sustainable and just natural resource management

Cited by 29 publications

References 11 publications

Towards a caring transdisciplinary research practice: navigating science, society and self

Towards a caring transdisciplinary research practice: navigating science, society and self

Environmental Services: A New Approach Toward Addressing Sustainable Development Goals in Sub-Saharan Africa

A review of trends in scientific coverage of water governance in South Africa and what this means for agenda-setting of public investment in water governance R&D

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