Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Exploring the role of boundary work in a social-ecological synthesis initiative

Schröter, Barbara LU ; Sattler, Claudia ; Metzger, Jean Paul ; Rhodes, Jonathan R. ; Fortin, Marie-Josée ; Hohlenwerger, Camila ; Carrasco, L. Román and Bodin, Örjan (2023) In Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences 13(2). p.330-343
Abstract
Inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration in environmental studies faces the challenge of communicating across disciplines to reach a common understanding of scientific problems and solutions in a changing world. One way to address current pressing environmental challenges is to employ a boundary work approach that uses activities across borders of separated field of research. But how can this look like in practice? In this research brief, we self-evaluated the boundary work approach in a synthesis group on socio-ecological systems, based on an online survey with participants. Here, we discuss how boundary work can be used to integrate the knowledge from natural and social scientists both working on social-ecological systems. We found... (More)
Inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration in environmental studies faces the challenge of communicating across disciplines to reach a common understanding of scientific problems and solutions in a changing world. One way to address current pressing environmental challenges is to employ a boundary work approach that uses activities across borders of separated field of research. But how can this look like in practice? In this research brief, we self-evaluated the boundary work approach in a synthesis group on socio-ecological systems, based on an online survey with participants. Here, we discuss how boundary work can be used to integrate the knowledge from natural and social scientists both working on social-ecological systems. We found participants were selected to be acted as boundary spanners and were willing to cooperate for solving multidisciplinary issues regarding the understanding, management, and maintenance of ecosystem services. A social-ecological network analysis framework served as a boundary concept and object for communication and knowledge integration. Being familiar with a joint boundary concept like ecosystem services prior to the working group event supported the communication of participants. These results indicate that synthesis initiatives could strategically leverage boundary work through the careful selection of members, with the inclusion of boundary spanners, as well as prior joint identification of boundary concepts and objects. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences
volume
13
issue
2
pages
330 - 343
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85146891232
ISSN
2190-6491
DOI
10.1007/s13412-022-00811-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9e026954-af30-43bc-9535-324023379eef
date added to LUP
2023-01-27 16:01:46
date last changed
2023-10-26 14:52:57
@article{9e026954-af30-43bc-9535-324023379eef,
  abstract     = {{Inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration in environmental studies faces the challenge of communicating across disciplines to reach a common understanding of scientific problems and solutions in a changing world. One way to address current pressing environmental challenges is to employ a boundary work approach that uses activities across borders of separated field of research. But how can this look like in practice? In this research brief, we self-evaluated the boundary work approach in a synthesis group on socio-ecological systems, based on an online survey with participants. Here, we discuss how boundary work can be used to integrate the knowledge from natural and social scientists both working on social-ecological systems. We found participants were selected to be acted as boundary spanners and were willing to cooperate for solving multidisciplinary issues regarding the understanding, management, and maintenance of ecosystem services. A social-ecological network analysis framework served as a boundary concept and object for communication and knowledge integration. Being familiar with a joint boundary concept like ecosystem services prior to the working group event supported the communication of participants. These results indicate that synthesis initiatives could strategically leverage boundary work through the careful selection of members, with the inclusion of boundary spanners, as well as prior joint identification of boundary concepts and objects.}},
  author       = {{Schröter, Barbara and Sattler, Claudia and Metzger, Jean Paul and Rhodes, Jonathan R. and Fortin, Marie-Josée and Hohlenwerger, Camila and Carrasco, L. Román and Bodin, Örjan}},
  issn         = {{2190-6491}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{330--343}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences}},
  title        = {{Exploring the role of boundary work in a social-ecological synthesis initiative}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13412-022-00811-8}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s13412-022-00811-8}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}