Guiding principles for transdisciplinary sustainability research and practice

Abstract

Transdisciplinary sustainability scientists are called to conduct research with community actors to understand and improve relations between people and nature. Yet, research hierarchies and power relations continue to favour western academic researchers who remain the gatekeepers of knowledge production and validation. To counter this imbalance, in 2018 we structured a multi‐day workshop to co‐design a set of principles to guide our own transdisciplinary, international and intercultural community of practice for biocultural diversity and sustainability. This community includes community collaborators, partner organizations, and early career and established researchers from Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Germany, Mexico and South Africa. In 2021, we undertook online critical reflection workshops to share our research experiences and deepen our intercultural understanding of the application of the principles. Through these exercises, we adopted seven principles for working together that include: honour self‐determination and nationhood; commit to reciprocal relationships; co‐create the research agenda; approach research in a good way: embed relational accountability; generate meaningful benefits for communities; build in equity, diversity and inclusion; and emphasize critical reflection and shared learning. We explain these principles and briefly highlight their application to our research practices. By sharing these principles and associated practices, we seek to facilitate debate and spur transformations in how we conduct international and intercultural sustainability research. Our efforts also illustrate a strategy for on‐going knowledge co‐production as we cultivate safe and ethical spaces for learning together. Lessons learned may be particularly useful to those who engage in intercultural, collaborative research to advance sustainability transformations. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Global knowledge–action networks at the frontlines of sustainability: Insights from five decades of science for action in UNESCO's World Network of biosphere reserves

“…Engaging with Indigenous knowledge and epistemologies is challenging, requiring a transformation in how science is conceived, executed and evaluated. This will require fundamental changes in how we organize our research (Kealiikanakaoleohaililani & Giardina, 2016; Smith, 2019; Tengö et al, 2014), including: decolonizing research practices in ecology and concepts of nature stewardship more broadly; ensuring more inclusive research practice that supports Indigenous self‐determination; meaningful dialogue of knowledges between stakeholders and rights holders with different worldviews and dissimilar access to power and decision‐making (Leff, 2004; McElwee et al, 2020; Reed et al, 2020; Trisos et al, 2021). Engaging in new practices might also come into conflict with the desire to support solutions based on large‐scale synthesis and ‘big data’ as Indigenous and local peoples express their rights to determine the terms of knowledge sharing (Wiegleb & Bruns, 2022).…”

Transdisciplinary science and the importance of Indigenous knowledge

“…Transdisciplinary approaches call for a direct focus on ethics where attention to social participation, justice, and inequality are intrinsic to the research design, organization, and delivery (Apitz, 2021; Bunders et al, 2015; Ludwig & Boogaard, 2021; Manuel‐Navarrete et al, 2021; Pineo et al, 2021; Pohl et al, 2017; Reed et al, 2023; West & Schill, 2022; Zonta et al, 2023). The social sciences are not a mere extension of or “add on” (Canning et al, 2010; Fam et al, 2017) to the biophysical work, but rather a commitment made at the inception of the project that must be reflected in different organizational structures, processes, and the leadership of research.…”

Understanding the role of youth in Indigenous territorial governance

“…The research adopted a qualitative, participatory, and collaborative approach (Merriam, 1998;Robson et al, 2019b) and case study strategy of inquiry (Yin, 2018) inspired by the principles and ideals of research co-design (Reed et al, 2020;Reed et al, 2023) and knowledge co-production (Simon et al, 2018;Norström et al, 2020). This involved collaboration between: Central Indígena de Comunidades de Lomerío (CICOL), the centralized body responsible for overseeing territorial governance in the Indigenous-controlled Territory (ICT) of Lomerío (hereafter referred to as Lomerío); the Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal (IBIF), which has been working in eastern Bolivia since 2002 and with Lomerío since 2016; and the UNESCO Chair in Biocultural Diversity, Sustainability, Reconciliation and Renewal, based at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.…”

“…And by allowing elements of co-design to feed into the process, more of us (as collaborators) felt invested in the work. From a researcher perspective, we were better positioned to honour and respect several key principles, from 'conducting research in a good way' to 'generating benefits for community partners' (see Reed et al, 2023), that we wanted to adhere to. From a Lomerío perspective, we were in a position to ensure that the work was always tied to our priorities and conducted in accordance with local norms and ways of doing things.…”