Reconnecting society with its ecological roots
(2021) In Environmental Science and Policy 116. p.8-19- Abstract
Recent high-profile analyses of trajectories and prognoses of ecosystem decline around the world have called for a renewed focus on embedding the values of the natural world across all areas of public policy. This paper reports the results of a UK-based deliberative process involving experts from a wide range of policy domains and across societal sectors: government departments, associated agencies, national and international NGOs, professional institutions, academia and independent experts. A symposium, based on a collaborative learning approach, explored instances in which ecosystem values have successfully been embedded into public policy, identified challenges to their more widespread embedding despite commitments to do so over... (More)
Recent high-profile analyses of trajectories and prognoses of ecosystem decline around the world have called for a renewed focus on embedding the values of the natural world across all areas of public policy. This paper reports the results of a UK-based deliberative process involving experts from a wide range of policy domains and across societal sectors: government departments, associated agencies, national and international NGOs, professional institutions, academia and independent experts. A symposium, based on a collaborative learning approach, explored instances in which ecosystem values have successfully been embedded into public policy, identified challenges to their more widespread embedding despite commitments to do so over generational timescales, and took a backcasting approach to develop actionable outcomes required to deliver transformation change across state and civil society. Emergent themes were expressed in social, technological, environmental, economic and political terms. Recommendations for interventions in complex social-ecological systems are cross-sectoral in scope and will necessarily entail multiple agents of change, well beyond governmental leadership, within any given sphere of societal activity and interest. We identify strategic challenges for, and between, a spectrum of societal policy areas, many currently overlooking ecosystem dependencies, impacts and potential benefits. Reflections on the collaborative learning approach are also provided.
(Less)
- author
- publishing date
- 2021-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- Deliberation, Ecosystems, Socio-ecological systems, Sustainable development, System change, Transformation
- in
- Environmental Science and Policy
- volume
- 116
- pages
- 8 - 19
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85096157174
- ISSN
- 1462-9011
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Funding Information: The authors are grateful for funding for the high-level symposium to the International Water Security Network, which is funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation, a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. Further support for the symposium was provided by the University of the West of England (UWE), the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Club of Rome. Funding Information: The authors are grateful for funding for the high-level symposium to the International Water Security Network, which is funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation , a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. Further support for the symposium was provided by the University of the West of England (UWE) , the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Club of Rome . Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
- id
- 806bda0b-3f29-4e36-a1ef-54f6f5f03094
- date added to LUP
- 2022-02-07 10:29:52
- date last changed
- 2023-09-11 00:17:13
@article{806bda0b-3f29-4e36-a1ef-54f6f5f03094,
abstract = {{<p>Recent high-profile analyses of trajectories and prognoses of ecosystem decline around the world have called for a renewed focus on embedding the values of the natural world across all areas of public policy. This paper reports the results of a UK-based deliberative process involving experts from a wide range of policy domains and across societal sectors: government departments, associated agencies, national and international NGOs, professional institutions, academia and independent experts. A symposium, based on a collaborative learning approach, explored instances in which ecosystem values have successfully been embedded into public policy, identified challenges to their more widespread embedding despite commitments to do so over generational timescales, and took a backcasting approach to develop actionable outcomes required to deliver transformation change across state and civil society. Emergent themes were expressed in social, technological, environmental, economic and political terms. Recommendations for interventions in complex social-ecological systems are cross-sectoral in scope and will necessarily entail multiple agents of change, well beyond governmental leadership, within any given sphere of societal activity and interest. We identify strategic challenges for, and between, a spectrum of societal policy areas, many currently overlooking ecosystem dependencies, impacts and potential benefits. Reflections on the collaborative learning approach are also provided.</p>}},
author = {{Everard, Mark and Kass, Gary and Longhurst, James and zu Ermgassen, Sophus and Girardet, Herbert and Stewart-Evans, James and Wentworth, Jonathan and Austin, Kevin and Dwyer, Ciara and Fish, Robert and Johnston, Paul and Mantle, Gary and Staddon, Chad and Tickner, Dave and Spode, Steve and Vale, Jackie and Jarvis, Rhianna and Digby, Mathilda and Wren, Gwilym and Sunderland, Tim and Craig, Amanda}},
issn = {{1462-9011}},
keywords = {{Deliberation; Ecosystems; Socio-ecological systems; Sustainable development; System change; Transformation}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{8--19}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Environmental Science and Policy}},
title = {{Reconnecting society with its ecological roots}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002}},
volume = {{116}},
year = {{2021}},
}