Reconnecting society with its ecological roots

Mark Everard; Gary Kass; James Longhurst; Sophus zu Ermgassen; Herbert Girardet; James Stewart-Evans; Jonathan Wentworth; Kevin Austin; Ciara Dwyer; Robert Fish; Paul Johnston; Gary Mantle; Chad Staddon; Dave Tickner; Steve Spode; Jackie Vale; Rhianna Jarvis; Mathilda Digby; Gwilym Wren; Tim Sunderland; Amanda Craig

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002

Reconnecting society with its ecological roots

Mark Everard^*, Gary Kass, James Longhurst, Sophus zu Ermgassen, Herbert Girardet, James Stewart-Evans, Jonathan Wentworth, Kevin Austin, Ciara Dwyer, Robert Fish, Paul Johnston, Gary Mantle, Chad Staddon, Dave Tickner, Steve Spode, Jackie Vale, Rhianna Jarvis, Mathilda Digby, Gwilym Wren, Tim SunderlandAmanda Craig

^*Corresponding author for this work

HP: Head Of Department EHE

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent high-profile analyses of trajectories and prognoses of ecosystem decline around the world have called for a renewed focus on embedding the values of the natural world across all areas of public policy. This paper reports the results of a UK-based deliberative process involving experts from a wide range of policy domains and across societal sectors: government departments, associated agencies, national and international NGOs, professional institutions, academia and independent experts. A symposium, based on a collaborative learning approach, explored instances in which ecosystem values have successfully been embedded into public policy, identified challenges to their more widespread embedding despite commitments to do so over generational timescales, and took a backcasting approach to develop actionable outcomes required to deliver transformation change across state and civil society. Emergent themes were expressed in social, technological, environmental, economic and political terms. Recommendations for interventions in complex social-ecological systems are cross-sectoral in scope and will necessarily entail multiple agents of change, well beyond governmental leadership, within any given sphere of societal activity and interest. We identify strategic challenges for, and between, a spectrum of societal policy areas, many currently overlooking ecosystem dependencies, impacts and potential benefits. Reflections on the collaborative learning approach are also provided.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	8-19
Number of pages	12
Journal	Environmental Science and Policy
Volume	116
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002
Publication status	Published - Feb 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors are grateful for funding for the high-level symposium to the International Water Security Network, which is funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation, a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. Further support for the symposium was provided by the University of the West of England (UWE), the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Club of Rome.

Funding Information:
The authors are grateful for funding for the high-level symposium to the International Water Security Network, which is funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation , a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. Further support for the symposium was provided by the University of the West of England (UWE) , the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Club of Rome .

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Deliberation
Ecosystems
Socio-ecological systems
Sustainable development
System change
Transformation

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10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002

Cite this

Everard, M., Kass, G., Longhurst, J., zu Ermgassen, S., Girardet, H., Stewart-Evans, J., Wentworth, J., Austin, K., Dwyer, C., Fish, R., Johnston, P., Mantle, G., Staddon, C., Tickner, D., Spode, S., Vale, J., Jarvis, R., Digby, M., Wren, G., ... Craig, A. (2021). Reconnecting society with its ecological roots. Environmental Science and Policy, 116, 8-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002

Everard, Mark ; Kass, Gary ; Longhurst, James ; zu Ermgassen, Sophus ; Girardet, Herbert ; Stewart-Evans, James ; Wentworth, Jonathan ; Austin, Kevin ; Dwyer, Ciara ; Fish, Robert ; Johnston, Paul ; Mantle, Gary ; Staddon, Chad ; Tickner, Dave ; Spode, Steve ; Vale, Jackie ; Jarvis, Rhianna ; Digby, Mathilda ; Wren, Gwilym ; Sunderland, Tim ; Craig, Amanda. / Reconnecting society with its ecological roots. In: Environmental Science and Policy. 2021 ; Vol. 116. pp. 8-19.

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abstract = "Recent high-profile analyses of trajectories and prognoses of ecosystem decline around the world have called for a renewed focus on embedding the values of the natural world across all areas of public policy. This paper reports the results of a UK-based deliberative process involving experts from a wide range of policy domains and across societal sectors: government departments, associated agencies, national and international NGOs, professional institutions, academia and independent experts. A symposium, based on a collaborative learning approach, explored instances in which ecosystem values have successfully been embedded into public policy, identified challenges to their more widespread embedding despite commitments to do so over generational timescales, and took a backcasting approach to develop actionable outcomes required to deliver transformation change across state and civil society. Emergent themes were expressed in social, technological, environmental, economic and political terms. Recommendations for interventions in complex social-ecological systems are cross-sectoral in scope and will necessarily entail multiple agents of change, well beyond governmental leadership, within any given sphere of societal activity and interest. We identify strategic challenges for, and between, a spectrum of societal policy areas, many currently overlooking ecosystem dependencies, impacts and potential benefits. Reflections on the collaborative learning approach are also provided.",

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author = "Mark Everard and Gary Kass and James Longhurst and {zu Ermgassen}, Sophus and Herbert Girardet and James Stewart-Evans and Jonathan Wentworth and Kevin Austin and Ciara Dwyer and Robert Fish and Paul Johnston and Gary Mantle and Chad Staddon and Dave Tickner and Steve Spode and Jackie Vale and Rhianna Jarvis and Mathilda Digby and Gwilym Wren and Tim Sunderland and Amanda Craig",

note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful for funding for the high-level symposium to the International Water Security Network, which is funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation, a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. Further support for the symposium was provided by the University of the West of England (UWE), the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Club of Rome. Funding Information: The authors are grateful for funding for the high-level symposium to the International Water Security Network, which is funded by Lloyd{\textquoteright}s Register Foundation , a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. Further support for the symposium was provided by the University of the West of England (UWE) , the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Club of Rome . Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier Ltd",

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Everard, M, Kass, G, Longhurst, J, zu Ermgassen, S, Girardet, H, Stewart-Evans, J, Wentworth, J, Austin, K, Dwyer, C, Fish, R, Johnston, P, Mantle, G, Staddon, C, Tickner, D, Spode, S, Vale, J, Jarvis, R, Digby, M, Wren, G, Sunderland, T & Craig, A 2021, 'Reconnecting society with its ecological roots', Environmental Science and Policy, vol. 116, pp. 8-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.11.002

Reconnecting society with its ecological roots. / Everard, Mark; Kass, Gary; Longhurst, James; zu Ermgassen, Sophus; Girardet, Herbert; Stewart-Evans, James; Wentworth, Jonathan; Austin, Kevin; Dwyer, Ciara; Fish, Robert; Johnston, Paul; Mantle, Gary; Staddon, Chad; Tickner, Dave; Spode, Steve; Vale, Jackie; Jarvis, Rhianna; Digby, Mathilda; Wren, Gwilym; Sunderland, Tim; Craig, Amanda.

In: Environmental Science and Policy, Vol. 116, 02.2021, p. 8-19.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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AU - Wentworth, Jonathan

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AU - Johnston, Paul

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AU - Tickner, Dave

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AU - Vale, Jackie

AU - Jarvis, Rhianna

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AU - Wren, Gwilym

AU - Sunderland, Tim

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Reconnecting society with its ecological roots

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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