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Biodiversity on the brink: evaluating a transdisciplinary research collaboration
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 13:34 authored by Mitchell, M, Moore, SA, Clement, S, Michael LockwoodMichael Lockwood, Anderson, G, Gaynor, SM, Louise GilfedderLouise Gilfedder, Rowe, R, Norman, B, Edward LefroyEdward LefroyGlobal biodiversity is facing an extinction crisis. Australia has one of the highest terrestrial species extinction rates in the world. Scientists, policy advisors and governments have recommended that the issue be addressed at a landscape-scale, while noting that there are significant knowledge gaps that are hampering implementation of such an approach. From 2011–2015, the Australian Government funded a transdisciplinary research program, the Landscapes and Policy Hub, to meet this need. Transdisciplinary research is widely acknowledged as essential to address the complexity of contemporary environmental problems. Given that such research programs are in their infancy, it is important to evaluate their efficacy and provide an empirical basis for improving their design. This paper presents an evaluation of the strategies fostering transdisciplinarity adopted by the Landscapes and Policy Hub. A heavy emphasis on communication, with skilled knowledge brokering, regular face-to-face meetings using participatory activities and shared field engagements enhanced transdisciplinary interaction between researchers and research users. However, establishing a fully integrated interdisciplinary research program remained a challenge. Efforts to enable shared conceptual frameworks to emerge through adaptive application of theory in practice could have been balanced with increased effort at the outset for researchers and research users to collaboratively formulate shared research questions, leading to the establishment of teams that could address these questions through cross-mobilisation of interdisciplinary expertise.
Funding
Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth)
History
Publication title
Journal for Nature ConservationVolume
40Pagination
1-11ISSN
1617-1381Department/School
School of Geography, Planning and Spatial SciencesPublisher
Elsevier GmbH - Urban and FisherPlace of publication
GermanyRights statement
© 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.Repository Status
- Restricted