Biodiversity protection; Education for sustainable development; Lifelong learning; Qualitative research; Self-reflexivity; Transdisciplinary education; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Ecology; Nature and Landscape Conservation
Abstract :
[en] There is a pressing need for transformative change, with a vision of long-term human well-being within planetary boundaries. The lack of progress—despite increasing awareness and action—illustrates how challenging it is to foster change in our complex global society. Education and learning are needed to enable change. Transdisciplinary learning, which meaningfully integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, contributes to developing an integrative understanding—a necessity for tackling complex challenges. We explore how transdisciplinary learning for early-career researchers can foster transformative change and lead to increased biodiversity conservation. This paper focuses on a case study of the authors’ shared experiences during the 2021 Alternet Summer School, which focused on transformative change for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. In this introspective research, we gained insights through an online survey for participants and organizers of the summer school (n = 27). Using qualitative content analysis, we identify seven crucial elements of transdisciplinary learning which can lead to transformative change on (a) a personal level, as the learning process shifts values and helps researchers identify their roles; (b) a research level, by rethinking science and providing tools for transdisciplinary approaches, and (c) a societal level, by moving from the individual to the collective and constructing a shared vision for a sustainable future. Participants highlighted how changes on all these levels could benefit biodiversity conservation. These insights point to the benefit of transdisciplinary learning opportunities that empower young researchers to take up their part in fostering transformative change.
Disciplines :
European & international law
Author, co-author :
Atienza Casas, Sara ✱; Department of Aquatic Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway ; Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Calicis, Camille ✱; Université de Liège - ULiège > Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech ; Department of Geography, Université de Namur, Transitions Institute, Namur, Belgium
Candiago, Sebastian ✱; Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy ; Department of Economics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
Dendoncker, Nicolas ✱; Department of Geography, Université de Namur, Transitions Institute, Namur, Belgium
Desair, Jomme ✱; Nature & Society, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium
Fickel, Thomas ✱; ISOE – Institute for social-ecological research, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
Finne, Eirik Aasmo ✱; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø, Norway ; Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Frison, Christine ✱; Université de Liège - ULiège > Cité ; University of Louvain, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Legal Sciences, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
Haensel, Maria ✱; Professorship of Ecological Services, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Hinsch, Malte ✱; Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
Kumagai, Joy A. ✱; Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany ; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
Mialyk, Oleksandr ✱; Multidisciplinary Water Management Group, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
Nawrath, Maximilian ✱; Section Water and Society, Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway
Nevzati, Fiona ✱; Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
Washbourne, Carla ✱; Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Wübbelmann, Thea ✱; Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany ; Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Hamburg, Germany
Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work was supported by the Alternet Mobility Fund, which provided funding for a self-organized winter school to facilitate work on this paper.
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