Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104283
Jaeeun Koo , Sangchan Park , Yunsung Lee
Almost 200 countries have submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in response to the 2015 Paris Agreement’s call for net-zero targets. However, critics posit that these collective efforts may fall short of limiting global temperature rise, in part because these countries differ significantly in the scope of greenhouse gases (GHGs) included in their national climate targets. This study investigates why some countries set a narrower set of GHGs in their NDCs than others. Drawing on data from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) NDC registry and Climate Watch, we quantify GHG coverage by weighting each gas according to its 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP-100), thereby capturing relative climate impacts and ensuring alignment with national inventory practices. We then estimate ordinary least squares, ordered logit, and negative binomial regressions to examine the influence of two national-level factors, climate change vulnerability and political instability, on GHG coverage. The results show that both these factors are negatively associated with the scope of GHGs covered in NDCs. These findings underscore that expanding GHG coverage in NDCs requires not only technical capacity building but also institutional conditions that reduce climate change vulnerability and enhance political stability, thereby enabling countries to commit to more comprehensive mitigation goals.
{"title":"National circumstances matter: How climate change vulnerability and political instability affect greenhouse gas coverage in nationally determined contributions","authors":"Jaeeun Koo , Sangchan Park , Yunsung Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104283","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104283","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Almost 200 countries have submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in response to the 2015 Paris Agreement’s call for net-zero targets. However, critics posit that these collective efforts may fall short of limiting global temperature rise, in part because these countries differ significantly in the scope of greenhouse gases (GHGs) included in their national climate targets. This study investigates why some countries set a narrower set of GHGs in their NDCs than others. Drawing on data from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) NDC registry and Climate Watch, we quantify GHG coverage by weighting each gas according to its 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP-100), thereby capturing relative climate impacts and ensuring alignment with national inventory practices. We then estimate ordinary least squares, ordered logit, and negative binomial regressions to examine the influence of two national-level factors, climate change vulnerability and political instability, on GHG coverage. The results show that both these factors are negatively associated with the scope of GHGs covered in NDCs. These findings underscore that expanding GHG coverage in NDCs requires not only technical capacity building but also institutional conditions that reduce climate change vulnerability and enhance political stability, thereby enabling countries to commit to more comprehensive mitigation goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 104283"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145622811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104273
Alexandre de Matos Martins Pereira , Geraldo Alves Damasceno-Junior , Renata Libonati , Liana O. Anderson , Allan Henrique de Almeida Souza , Bruno Henrique dos Santos Ferreira , Andre Valle Nunes , André Luiz Siqueira , Angelica Guerra , Angelo Cipriano Pacelli Rabelo , Arnaud L.J. Desbiez , Arthur Henrique Leite Falcette , Áurea da Silva Garcia , Betina Kellermann , Bruna Gomes de Oliveira , Bryony Jenkins , Carlos A. Peres , Christian Niel Berlinck , Danilo Bandini Ribeiro , Edna Scremin-Dias , Fabio de Oliveira Roque
Catastrophic wildfires, increasingly intensified by climate change and anthropogenic pressures, have emerged as critical drivers of socioecological transformation. This study examines the 2019–2020 wildfires in the Pantanal biome as a case of disruptive change, highlighting their role in catalyzing institutional, technological, scientific, and community-level innovations. Drawing on a transdisciplinary methodology and snowball sampling of key stakeholders, the research identifies rapid shifts in wildfire governance, including the implementation of integrated fire management policies and the establishment of new scientific networks. Technological advancements, such as real-time fire monitoring systems and AI-driven early warning platforms, have enhanced fire detection and response capabilities. Concurrently, community resilience has been bolstered through the formation of local fire brigades, educational initiatives, and restoration programs supported by civil society and governmental actors. These responses reflect a convergence of adaptive and transformative strategies aimed at mitigating future wildfire risks. Despite these advances, sustaining long-term resilience remains contingent upon continued multilevel governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, and financial investment. The Pantanal experience underscores the potential of extreme events to disrupt entrenched systems and foster systemic change. However, it also reveals the complexities of maintaining momentum in the face of escalating climate threats. This analysis contributes to the broader discourse on disaster-induced transformation, emphasizing the need for integrated, inclusive, and anticipatory approaches to environmental governance in fire-prone landscapes.
{"title":"Catastrophic wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands as catalysts for transformative change","authors":"Alexandre de Matos Martins Pereira , Geraldo Alves Damasceno-Junior , Renata Libonati , Liana O. Anderson , Allan Henrique de Almeida Souza , Bruno Henrique dos Santos Ferreira , Andre Valle Nunes , André Luiz Siqueira , Angelica Guerra , Angelo Cipriano Pacelli Rabelo , Arnaud L.J. Desbiez , Arthur Henrique Leite Falcette , Áurea da Silva Garcia , Betina Kellermann , Bruna Gomes de Oliveira , Bryony Jenkins , Carlos A. Peres , Christian Niel Berlinck , Danilo Bandini Ribeiro , Edna Scremin-Dias , Fabio de Oliveira Roque","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Catastrophic wildfires, increasingly intensified by climate change and anthropogenic pressures, have emerged as critical drivers of socioecological transformation. This study examines the 2019–2020 wildfires in the Pantanal biome as a case of disruptive change, highlighting their role in catalyzing institutional, technological, scientific, and community-level innovations. Drawing on a transdisciplinary methodology and snowball sampling of key stakeholders, the research identifies rapid shifts in wildfire governance, including the implementation of integrated fire management policies and the establishment of new scientific networks. Technological advancements, such as real-time fire monitoring systems and AI-driven early warning platforms, have enhanced fire detection and response capabilities. Concurrently, community resilience has been bolstered through the formation of local fire brigades, educational initiatives, and restoration programs supported by civil society and governmental actors. These responses reflect a convergence of adaptive and transformative strategies aimed at mitigating future wildfire risks. Despite these advances, sustaining long-term resilience remains contingent upon continued multilevel governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, and financial investment. The Pantanal experience underscores the potential of extreme events to disrupt entrenched systems and foster systemic change. However, it also reveals the complexities of maintaining momentum in the face of escalating climate threats. This analysis contributes to the broader discourse on disaster-induced transformation, emphasizing the need for integrated, inclusive, and anticipatory approaches to environmental governance in fire-prone landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104273"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104254
Sergio Villamayor-Tomas , Daniel Gaitán-Cremaschi , Esteve Corbera , Ana Beatriz Pierri-Daunt , Letícia Santos de Lima
Rural regions in Europe currently face multiple interacting stressors, including climate change, depopulation, and the deepening of a global a food regime. Research on the overlapping impact of these climate, demographic and socio-economic phenomena on rural livelihoods is mounting, yet efforts to identify larger-scale patterns at country level are still scarce. In this article, we develop a rural vulnerability index that accounts for these dynamics, encompassing 27 variables calculated at municipal and county levels from publicly available data. We apply the index to the case of Spain, one of the largest producers of agricultural commodities and one of the most affected by depopulation and climate change in the European Union. We demonstrate the existence of a vulnerability belt around the country’s central plateau, which is notably driven by shifts in climate, the adverse effects of the global food regime, and low adaptive capacity of the municipalities that conform such belt. We also show that most and least vulnerable counties exhibit contrasting spatial distributions at the municipal level, and that overlapping impacts of the three stressors occur mostly in remote rural areas. The research illustrates the importance of integrating depopulation in the study of multi-stressor rural vulnerability and sheds light on the potential and limitations of using a quantitative and spatially explicit indices for the assessment of rural vulnerability in Spain, and potentially other European countries.
{"title":"Vulnerability to climate change, depopulation and the global food regime: An index-based approach for rural Spain","authors":"Sergio Villamayor-Tomas , Daniel Gaitán-Cremaschi , Esteve Corbera , Ana Beatriz Pierri-Daunt , Letícia Santos de Lima","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104254","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104254","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rural regions in Europe currently face multiple interacting stressors, including climate change, depopulation, and the deepening of a global a food regime. Research on the overlapping impact of these climate, demographic and socio-economic phenomena on rural livelihoods is mounting, yet efforts to identify larger-scale patterns at country level are still scarce. In this article, we develop a rural vulnerability index that accounts for these dynamics, encompassing 27 variables calculated at municipal and county levels from publicly available data. We apply the index to the case of Spain, one of the largest producers of agricultural commodities and one of the most affected by depopulation and climate change in the European Union. We demonstrate the existence of a vulnerability belt around the country’s central plateau, which is notably driven by shifts in climate, the adverse effects of the global food regime, and low adaptive capacity of the municipalities that conform such belt. We also show that most and least vulnerable counties exhibit contrasting spatial distributions at the municipal level, and that overlapping impacts of the three stressors occur mostly in remote rural areas. The research illustrates the importance of integrating depopulation in the study of multi-stressor rural vulnerability and sheds light on the potential and limitations of using a quantitative and spatially explicit indices for the assessment of rural vulnerability in Spain, and potentially other European countries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104254"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104288
Thomas B. Atkins , Natalie E. Duffus , Amber J. Butler , Hannah C. Nicholas , Sophus O.S.E. zu Ermgassen , Prue Addison , E.J. Milner-Gulland
Countries around the world are attempting to navigate complex trade-offs between biodiversity and other land use objectives such as infrastructure expansion, with many adopting “net outcomes” policies that aim to ensure economic development leaves biodiversity better off than before. The implementation of net outcomes policies often occurs on a project-by-project basis, which can lead to implementation missing opportunities for integrated thinking that delivers across multiple objectives. Here, we present a new practical framework for delivering a biodiversity mitigation strategy that achieves multiple societal objectives whilst being applicable at the scale of an individual project. We apply the framework to the case study of a major development in Oxfordshire subject to Biodiversity Net Gain legislation. We first calculate the requirement for off-site biodiversity offsetting, given the realistic limits in scope of on-site biodiversity impact mitigation. Three offsetting strategies are co-created with local stakeholders, which all meet the required biodiversity gains, but differ with regards to social equity and the bundle of ecosystem services delivered. Making these contrasting project characteristics transparent and comparable empowers local stakeholders to choose the offset strategy that meets their local preferences across these often-competing priorities, whilst helping contribute to overarching strategic development goals.
{"title":"A pragmatic framework for local operationalisation of national-level biodiversity impact mitigation commitments","authors":"Thomas B. Atkins , Natalie E. Duffus , Amber J. Butler , Hannah C. Nicholas , Sophus O.S.E. zu Ermgassen , Prue Addison , E.J. Milner-Gulland","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Countries around the world are attempting to navigate complex trade-offs between biodiversity and other land use objectives such as infrastructure expansion, with many adopting “net outcomes” policies that aim to ensure economic development leaves biodiversity better off than before. The implementation of net outcomes policies often occurs on a project-by-project basis, which can lead to implementation missing opportunities for integrated thinking that delivers across multiple objectives. Here, we present a new practical framework for delivering a biodiversity mitigation strategy that achieves multiple societal objectives whilst being applicable at the scale of an individual project. We apply the framework to the case study of a major development in Oxfordshire subject to Biodiversity Net Gain legislation. We first calculate the requirement for off-site biodiversity offsetting, given the realistic limits in scope of on-site biodiversity impact mitigation. Three offsetting strategies are co-created with local stakeholders, which all meet the required biodiversity gains, but differ with regards to social equity and the bundle of ecosystem services delivered. Making these contrasting project characteristics transparent and comparable empowers local stakeholders to choose the offset strategy that meets their local preferences across these often-competing priorities, whilst helping contribute to overarching strategic development goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104288"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104233
Zora Kovacic, Lucía Argüelles
{"title":"Troubled environmental governance in the age of the “twin” green and digital transitions","authors":"Zora Kovacic, Lucía Argüelles","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104233","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104233"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145690813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper critically explores Indigenous women-led climate change solutions through an anti-racist lens. Indigenous communities, particularly women, have long been disproportionately affected by the adverse impacts of climate change. However, they also possess invaluable knowledge and resilience rooted in their deep connection to the land and environment. Centering Indigenous women's voices and experiences, this reflection aims to shed light on their innovative strategies, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and countering their intersecting oppressions. Following decolonial and relational theoretical frameworks, we learned that Indigenous women's leadership and traditional land-based knowledge offer unique perspectives and solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change. It emphasizes the importance of building respectful and reciprocal relationships, actively listening to Indigenous voices, and amplifying their calls for justice and equity. Indigenous women helped us to learn how to challenge systemic injustices and work towards collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable climate solutions that center Indigenous women's knowledge, leadership, and self-determination. We can forge a path toward a more just and resilient future for all by uplifting Indigenous voices.
{"title":"Indigenous women-led climate crisis solutions from decolonial feminist perspectives in Western Canada","authors":"Jebunnessa Chapola , Ranjan Datta , Teena Starlight , Margot Hurlbert , Sofie Poggendorf","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper critically explores Indigenous women-led climate change solutions through an anti-racist lens. Indigenous communities, particularly women, have long been disproportionately affected by the adverse impacts of climate change. However, they also possess invaluable knowledge and resilience rooted in their deep connection to the land and environment. Centering Indigenous women's voices and experiences, this reflection aims to shed light on their innovative strategies, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and countering their intersecting oppressions. Following decolonial and relational theoretical frameworks, we learned that Indigenous women's leadership and traditional land-based knowledge offer unique perspectives and solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change. It emphasizes the importance of building respectful and reciprocal relationships, actively listening to Indigenous voices, and amplifying their calls for justice and equity. Indigenous women helped us to learn how to challenge systemic injustices and work towards collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable climate solutions that center Indigenous women's knowledge, leadership, and self-determination. We can forge a path toward a more just and resilient future for all by uplifting Indigenous voices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104272"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104287
Benjamin K. Sovacool , Livia Fritz , Chad M. Baum , Lucilla Losi , Ramit Debnath , Hans Jakob Walnum , Finn Müller-Hansen , Elina Brutschin
Climate interventions such as carbon removal and solar radiation management are now being considered by researchers, policymakers, and the private sector to address climate change. We examine European public perceptions of these interventions through five nationally representative surveys: Austria (N = 1005), Germany (N = 1025), Italy (N = 1002), Norway (N = 1002) and the United Kingdom (N = 1028). We combine this quantitative data with qualitative data from a total of 10 focus groups, with one urban and one rural focus group in each country. We find that public concerns within the five countries can be organized into themes such as climate change attitudes, technology perceptions, and governance. We also offer a comparative assessment of public perceptions organized around the relational themes of familiarity, policy support, aversion to tampering with nature, environmental identity, trust in actors, and experiences of climate change. Stated knowledge and familiarity with carbon removal and solar radiation management influence attitudes towards climate interventions. The great variety of attitudes and preferences confounds attempts to push climate policy or oversight of climate interventions towards applying “one-size-fits-all” policy options. Engaging with these diverse views in the policy process is therefore crucial for equitable deployment and minimizing societal backlash.
{"title":"Social attitudes towards climate interventions: Are European publics uninformed about carbon removal and solar radiation management?","authors":"Benjamin K. Sovacool , Livia Fritz , Chad M. Baum , Lucilla Losi , Ramit Debnath , Hans Jakob Walnum , Finn Müller-Hansen , Elina Brutschin","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate interventions such as carbon removal and solar radiation management are now being considered by researchers, policymakers, and the private sector to address climate change. We examine European public perceptions of these interventions through five nationally representative surveys: Austria (N = 1005), Germany (N = 1025), Italy (N = 1002), Norway (N = 1002) and the United Kingdom (N = 1028). We combine this quantitative data with qualitative data from a total of 10 focus groups, with one urban and one rural focus group in each country. We find that public concerns within the five countries can be organized into themes such as climate change attitudes, technology perceptions, and governance. We also offer a comparative assessment of public perceptions organized around the relational themes of familiarity, policy support, aversion to tampering with nature, environmental identity, trust in actors, and experiences of climate change. Stated knowledge and familiarity with carbon removal and solar radiation management influence attitudes towards climate interventions. The great variety of attitudes and preferences confounds attempts to push climate policy or oversight of climate interventions towards applying “one-size-fits-all” policy options. Engaging with these diverse views in the policy process is therefore crucial for equitable deployment and minimizing societal backlash.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104287"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-22DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104279
Nikol Damato , Alex McInturff
At the science-policy interface for wildlife conservation, numerous barriers prevent the integration of science into policy, and decision-makers must make tradeoffs between investing in research and implementing management interventions based on existing but limited information. The consequences of these decisions are particularly high for “wicked” problems like endangered species management, where there is often urgency, uncertainty, conflict, and irreversible and potentially harmful outcomes for both wildlife and human communities. As a result, there is growing recognition about the need to strategically prioritize research that effectively reduces uncertainty, is relevant to decision-makers, and improves management outcomes. We conducted a narrative literature review of the wildlife conservation sciences, the decision sciences, and the policy sciences to synthesize insights and best practices for research prioritization and meet a critical need for integrating social dimensions into prioritization decisions. Our goal was to develop an accessible framework to help decision-makers and natural and social scientists make more effective, defensible, and just decisions about research priorities. We propose four categories of considerations scientists and decision-makers can take into account in prioritization decisions: (1) the source, reducibility, and relevance of uncertainties, (2) practical and socio-political feasibility, (3) conflict and contestation, and (4) direct and indirect risk perceptions. We offer strategies and tools to operationalize and adapt the framework across management contexts and needs. We draw on examples from endangered Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) to provide insight into how decision-makers and scientists can apply the framework’s considerations within their unique social-ecological systems.
{"title":"A multidisciplinary framework for research prioritization at the science-policy interface: Insights for wildlife conservation and management","authors":"Nikol Damato , Alex McInturff","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>At the science-policy interface for wildlife conservation, numerous barriers prevent the integration of science into policy, and decision-makers must make tradeoffs between investing in research and implementing management interventions based on existing but limited information. The consequences of these decisions are particularly high for “wicked” problems like endangered species management, where there is often urgency, uncertainty, conflict, and irreversible and potentially harmful outcomes for both wildlife and human communities. As a result, there is growing recognition about the need to strategically prioritize research that effectively reduces uncertainty, is relevant to decision-makers, and improves management outcomes. We conducted a narrative literature review of the wildlife conservation sciences, the decision sciences, and the policy sciences to synthesize insights and best practices for research prioritization and meet a critical need for integrating social dimensions into prioritization decisions. Our goal was to develop an accessible framework to help decision-makers and natural and social scientists make more effective, defensible, and just decisions about research priorities. We propose four categories of considerations scientists and decision-makers can take into account in prioritization decisions: (1) the source, reducibility, and relevance of uncertainties, (2) practical and socio-political feasibility, (3) conflict and contestation, and (4) direct and indirect risk perceptions. We offer strategies and tools to operationalize and adapt the framework across management contexts and needs. We draw on examples from endangered Southern Resident killer whales (<em>Orcinus orca</em>) to provide insight into how decision-makers and scientists can apply the framework’s considerations within their unique social-ecological systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104279"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145577101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-22DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104286
Julia Schegg , Rea Pärli , Manuel Fischer , Eva Lieberherr
Transdisciplinary research (TDR) targets societal challenges through equitable knowledge co-production with non-academic actors for a given case context. Frequently, results of TDR projects are harder to generalize compared to those of non-TD projects, primarily because TD projects are designed to address specific, context-dependent situations. Including context (factors, such as COVID-19, public discourse, and action resources of project actors) when assessing TDR projects is thus important for the transferability of effects of TDR projects to other contexts. This study investigates the influence of context factors on TDR projects and their effects. Empirically, we rely on interviews with 23 researchers and non-academic actors involved in 9 TDR projects in the field of natural resources in Switzerland. We find that, particularly, the effects of knowledge integration into practice and into politics are most affected by context factors. We find the context factors: action resources of political support, organisation and consensus, and the system conditions of private economy and external natural events to be most influential for the achievement of aspired effects in TDR projects.
{"title":"Research shaped through context: Lessons from transdisciplinary projects","authors":"Julia Schegg , Rea Pärli , Manuel Fischer , Eva Lieberherr","doi":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104286","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104286","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Transdisciplinary research (TDR) targets societal challenges through equitable knowledge co-production with non-academic actors for a given case context. Frequently, results of TDR projects are harder to generalize compared to those of non-TD projects, primarily because TD projects are designed to address specific, context-dependent situations. Including context (factors, such as COVID-19, public discourse, and action resources of project actors) when assessing TDR projects is thus important for the transferability of effects of TDR projects to other contexts. This study investigates the influence of context factors on TDR projects and their effects. Empirically, we rely on interviews with 23 researchers and non-academic actors involved in 9 TDR projects in the field of natural resources in Switzerland. We find that, particularly, the effects of knowledge integration into practice and into politics are most affected by context factors. We find the context factors: action resources of political support, organisation and consensus, and the system conditions of private economy and external natural events to be most influential for the achievement of aspired effects in TDR projects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":313,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science & Policy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 104286"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145577103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-21DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104284
Ali Rhouma , Antonella Autino , Fabio Maria Montagnino , Anna Malagó , Davide Dallera , Giovanni Bidoglio , Gill José Maria
This study presents the application of a novel evaluation SDG-Tool to assess the contributions of 25 research and innovation projects funded by the PRIMA Partnership to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Designed for systematic and replicable assessment, the tool overcomes the current lack of suitable Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) tools with this specific aim, by combining a Key Performance Indicators questionnaire with a dual-matrix framework weight, and relevance matrices aligned with SDG targets. It enables the normalization of scores and comparative analysis across five thematic areas, considering the economic, environmental, social, governance, and scientific-technological dimensions. The results reveal strong contributions by 25 studied projects to SDG2, SDG6, SDG9, SDG 12 SDG 13 and SDG15, with scientific-technological performance scoring highest (44.2/100), while governance impacts remain underdeveloped (17.5/100). The integration of evidence from the IPBES Nexus Assessment within the tool allows the exploration of interlinkages across biodiversity, food, water, health, climate, and energy, confirming climate and food systems as central to SDG synergies. The tool enhances transparency, strategic alignment, and orientation towards the UN 2030 Agenda. The proposed interface is user-friendly and the overall flexible structure allows adaptation and fine-tuning of the matrices. These features make the tool suitable for further refinements and reuse across various Research & Innovation programmes. Nevertheless, the study is limited by its reliance on expert-based weighting procedures and its application to a single portfolio of projects; further validation with larger datasets and use cases will be essential to strengthen its robustness and generalizability.
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