UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

The science-policy interface on ecosystems and people: challenges and opportunities

Balvanera, P; Jacobs, S; Nagendra, H; O’Farrell, P; Bridgewater, P; Crouzat, E; Dendoncker, N; ... Washbourne, C-L; + view all (2020) The science-policy interface on ecosystems and people: challenges and opportunities. Ecosystems and People , 16 (1) pp. 345-353. 10.1080/26395916.2020.1819426. Green open access

[thumbnail of The science policy interface on ecosystems and people challenges and opportunities.pdf]
Preview
Text
The science policy interface on ecosystems and people challenges and opportunities.pdf - Published Version

Download (643kB) | Preview

Abstract

Introduction The complex links and feedbacks between ecosystems and people are now sharply in focus. Our growing understandings of the complex relations between ecosystems and people, the social and ecological drivers of changes in nature, and the different dimensions of a good quality of life, from local to global scales, have made these interdependencies ever more visible (IPBES 2019; Díaz et al. 2019). Furthermore, recent studies have revealed how dramatically unsustainable and inequitable the interactions between ecosystems and people are, as a result of a long legacy of consumerism and utilitarianism, patriarchy and colonialism, and the global expansion of production-oriented relationships with nature. In embracing the new name and scope of the Journal Ecosystems and People (Martín-López et al. 2019) a special issue was launched in 2018 to gather and synthesize the findings, insights and experiences gained in science-policy interfaces regarding ecosystems and people, with a special emphasis on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We invited scientific contributions and contributions from non-academic authors, on the process, theory, and outcomes of IPBES as well as on other science-policy interfaces. Following the approach of the journal, the special issue aimed for a diverse distribution of authors based on gender, region, ethnicity and seniority as contributors. In this introductory paper, we synthesize the insights gained through this special issue. We identify four key challenges, as well as opportunities and strategies to overcome them, which are presented below. These challenges and exemplary strategies were drawn from a series of collaborative contributions from authors around the world, involving work at different science-policy interfaces, and including a range of professional and disciplinary backgrounds among scientists, sectors of society, types of knowledge and spatial and temporal scales. Close to 100 authors, from nearly 30 different countries, encompassing all continents, from a wide range of career stages participated in this special issue. They belong to a wide range of academic, education, governmental, civil society and consulting organizations and provide a rich overview of how science-policy interfaces advance research on ecosystems and people.

Type: Article
Title: The science-policy interface on ecosystems and people: challenges and opportunities
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/26395916.2020.1819426
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2020.1819426
Language: English
Additional information: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > STEaPP
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10111226
Downloads since deposit
50Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item