TY - JOUR

T1 - Enhancing the transformative potential of interventions for the sustainable use of natural resources

AU - Loos, Jacqueline

AU - Cortés-Capano, Gonzalo

AU - Riechers, Maraja

AU - Walsh, Cormac

AU - Leventon, Julia

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024

PY - 2024/8

Y1 - 2024/8

N2 - Conservation and Development Interventions (CDIs) aim to promote sustainable natural resource use and contribute to both biodiversity conservation (or restoration) and human well-being. Their long-term impact on social-ecological interactions hinges on their transformative potential to achieve sustainability. In this perspective paper, we categorize CDIs based on their strategies for achieving transformative change, empowering decision-makers to guide social-ecological systems towards sustainability. We classify CDIs by their specific dependencies between values, rules, and knowledge systems in decision-making, power relations, and environmental justice in creating transformations. Based on this classification, we identify three ‘realms’ of CDI: (1) the realm of “management”, i.e., interventions for a just and sustainable natural resource use happen at a broad but shallow level through management design and content. Here, formal rules and visible power structures dominate to achieve distributive justice; (2) the realm of “understanding”, i.e., interventions that offer a better understanding of knowledge diversity and shedding light on invisible power structures by addressing procedural justice; (3) the realm of “engagement”, i.e., interventions that elucidate the underlying human value system and uncover hidden power structures, e.g., by analysing social discourses and thereby deeply engaging with recognitional justice in sustainable natural resource use. This work suggests that CDIs can enhance their capacity to drive transformative change towards promoting sustainable natural resource use by strategically addressing and actively involving all three realms.

AB - Conservation and Development Interventions (CDIs) aim to promote sustainable natural resource use and contribute to both biodiversity conservation (or restoration) and human well-being. Their long-term impact on social-ecological interactions hinges on their transformative potential to achieve sustainability. In this perspective paper, we categorize CDIs based on their strategies for achieving transformative change, empowering decision-makers to guide social-ecological systems towards sustainability. We classify CDIs by their specific dependencies between values, rules, and knowledge systems in decision-making, power relations, and environmental justice in creating transformations. Based on this classification, we identify three ‘realms’ of CDI: (1) the realm of “management”, i.e., interventions for a just and sustainable natural resource use happen at a broad but shallow level through management design and content. Here, formal rules and visible power structures dominate to achieve distributive justice; (2) the realm of “understanding”, i.e., interventions that offer a better understanding of knowledge diversity and shedding light on invisible power structures by addressing procedural justice; (3) the realm of “engagement”, i.e., interventions that elucidate the underlying human value system and uncover hidden power structures, e.g., by analysing social discourses and thereby deeply engaging with recognitional justice in sustainable natural resource use. This work suggests that CDIs can enhance their capacity to drive transformative change towards promoting sustainable natural resource use by strategically addressing and actively involving all three realms.

KW - Biodiversity conservation

KW - Environmental justice

KW - Equity

KW - Knowledge

KW - Power

KW - Resource use

KW - Rules

KW - Sustainability

KW - Transformation

KW - Values

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85197033928&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110691

DO - 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110691

M3 - Comments / Debate / Reports

AN - SCOPUS:85197033928

VL - 296

JO - Biological Conservation

JF - Biological Conservation

SN - 0006-3207

M1 - 110691

ER -