Transdisciplinary research in support of land and water management in China and Southeast Asia : evaluation of four research projects
Siew, Tuck Fatt (Goethe University. Institute of Physical Geography)
Aenis, Thomas (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Spangenberg, Joachim H. (UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. Department of Community Ecology)
Nauditt, Alexandra (Cologne University of Applied Sciences. Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics)
Frank, Sina K. (University of Cambridge. Department of Geography)
Ribbe, Lars (Cologne University of Applied. Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics)
Rodríguez-Labajos, Beatriz (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Rumbaur, Christian (Technical University Munich. Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management)
Settele, Josef (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Alemanya))
Wang, Jue (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Sustainable Europe Research Institute Germany

Date:	2016
Abstract:	Transdisciplinary research (TDR) aims at identifying implementable solutions to difficult sustainability problems and at fostering social learning. It requires a wellmanaged collaboration among multidisciplinary scientists and multisectoral stakeholders. Performing TDR is challenging, particularly for foreign researchers working in countries with different institutional and socio-cultural conditions. There is a need to synthesize and share experience among researchers as well as practitioners regarding how TDR can be conducted under specific contexts. In this paper, we aim to evaluate and synthesize our unique experience in conducting TDR projects in Asia. We applied guiding principles of TDR to conduct a formative evaluation of four consortium projects on sustainable land and water management in China, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In all projects, local political conditions restricted the set of stakeholders that could be involved in the research processes. The set of involved stakeholders was also affected by the fact that stakeholders in most cases only participate if they belong to the personal network of the project leaders. Language barriers hampered effective communication between foreign researchers and stakeholders in all projects and thus knowledge integration. The TDR approach and its specific methods were adapted to respond to the specific cultural, social, and political conditions in the research areas, also with the aim to promote trust and interest of the stakeholders throughout the project. Additionally, various measures were implemented to promote collaboration among disciplinary scientists. Based on lessons learned, we provide specific recommendations for the design and implementation of TDR projects in particular in Asia.
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Evaluation ; Interdisciplinarity ; Knowledge co-production and integration ; Land and water management ; Sustainability problems ; Transdisciplinarity
Published in:	Sustainability science, Vol. 11, Issue 5 (September 2016) , p. 813-829, ISSN 1862-4057

DOI: 10.1007/s11625-016-0378-0
PMID: 30174744

19 p, 1.4 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles