This problem is a UK government area of research interest (ARI) that was originally posted at https://ari.org.uk/ by a UK government organisation to indicate that they are keen to see research related to this area.
How can we best develop an inclusive societal vision for a just transition towards sustainability? At what spatial scale should such visions be developed and how to reconcile across scales? How can we best manage the polycentric governance to implement these visions?
Defra’s areas of responsibility cover a wide range of interacting natural and human systems. Changes that affect one outcome are often likely to have knock-on implications for others. Policy in areas such as land management, biodiversity conservation, pollution prevention, food security, fisheries, and waste management, need to be designed in the absence of perfect knowledge of how human and natural processes interact. It can be particularly difficult to attribute cause and effect in such complex systems where evidence is often partial and fragmented.
Consideration of the issues that Defra deals with as parts of systems, i.e. in terms of relationships between the parts can help us to unpick complex or seemingly chaotic situations, and better deliver robust positive outcomes for society. To facilitate more effective decision making, a range of approaches and specialties need to be applied to the above challenges.
Contact details
ari.comment@go-science.gov.uk
Related UKRI Projects
- The ESRC STEPS Centre's Legacy Initiative: Future Natures
- Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities
- Opportunities and trade-offs between the SDGs for food, welfare and the environment in deltas.
- The STEPS (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) Centre
- GoNaturePositive!
- A public dialogue project on the character, causes and consequences of ecosystem change in the UK and their implications for policy development
- Evidence for nature based solutions (NBSGap)
- Negotiating Tradeoffs: Making Informed Choices about Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation
- NEC05943 Natural Capital Knowledge Exchange to Support Healthy Local Economies (Open Call)
- PLUS Change (Planning Land Use Strategies: Meeting biodiversity, climate and social objectives in a Changing world)