Jean Huge

The Delphi technique in ecology and biological conservation: applications and guidelines

Summary 1. Many areas of science, including conservation and environmental management, regularly require engaging stakeholders or experts to produce consensus or technical inputs. The Delphi technique is an iterative and anonymous participatory method used for gathering and evaluating such expert-based knowledge. 2. We outline the methodology of the Delphi technique and provide a taxonomy of its main variants. In addition, we refine the technique by providing suggestions to address common limitations (e.g. time consumption, attrition rate) in order to make the method more suitable for application in ecology and conservation. 3. A comprehensive search for studies that have applied the Delphi technique in conservation and environmental management resulted in 36 papers. The Delphi technique has been applied to a range of issues, including developing decision support systems and predicting ecological impacts of climate change. 4. The papers reviewed suggest that the Delphi technique is an efficient, inclusive, systematic and structured approach that can be used to address complex issues. A major strength compared to other group-based techniques is the reduced influence of social pressures among respondents. 5. The Delphi technique is relatively little used and seems undervalued. Given its wide range of possible applications, it could be applied more widely in evaluating evidence and providing expert judgments.

A discourse-analytical perspective on sustainability assessment: interpreting sustainable development in practice

Sustainable development is a ubiquitously used concept in public decision-making: it refers to an ideal vision of global society where human development and environmental quality go hand in hand. Logically, any decision-supporting process aiming at facilitating and steering society toward a sustainable future then seems desirable. Assessing the sustainability of policy decisions is, however, influenced by what sustainable development is believed to entail, as different discourses coexist under the umbrella of the sustainable development meta-discourse. This paper proposes a typology of sustainable development discourses, and, subsequently, applies a discourse-analytical lens on two practical cases of sustainability assessment in different institutional and geographical contexts (in Belgium and in Benin). The results indicate that sustainability assessments tend to be influenced mainly by the consensual ‘sustainable development as integration’ discourse, while also providing a forum for dialogue between different discourses. The results shed light on context-specific discursive and institutional dynamics for the development and application of sustainability assessment. Acknowledging these dynamics as well as sustainable development’s inherent interpretational limits can lead to an improved use of sustainable development as a decision-guiding strategy.

Knowledge for sustainable development: A worldviews perspective

A huge tension exists between recognizing sustainable development (SD) as a meta-discourse and accepting a limitless interpretational width. We analyse the impacts of diversity of worldviews on the interpretation of SD—as a knowledge-based concept—through a critical literature review, resulting in recommendations on the topic. We apply a social-constructionist approach, appreciating the complex socio-ecological interactions at the heart of SD. Only recently worldviews are recognized as constitutive elements of SD. Little attention has been given to the impacts on generated knowledge for SD. Variety of worldviews induces a variety of knowledge claims and needs. To retain SD’s ‘universal’ appeal as practical decision-guiding strategy for policy and action, we propose an integrative approach towards knowledge for SD—entailing an explicit pluralization of knowledge. SD should be re-interpreted as a joint worldviews construct, embracing a diversity of views in collaborative research and co-production of knowledge. Interpreting SD as a joint endeavour is necessary to overcome historical obstacles like cultural hegemony and a hierarchy of knowledge systems. We identified the following requirements for an inclusive knowledge for SD paradigm: re-interpretation of SD as a worldview constructs in progress; interpretative flexibility; co-production of knowledge; subjectivity awareness and self-reflexivity; respect for a diversity of worldviews/knowledges; identifying shared goals; collaborative research; a systems approach; transdisciplinarity; and recognition of contextuality. Further research—concerning potential methodologies and typologies—to reconcile variety of worldviews and knowledge systems in a joint SD worldviews construct is urgently needed.

The greening of poverty reduction strategy papers: a process approach to sustainability assessment

Despite their alleged comprehensiveness and the many linkages between poverty and environment, most poverty reduction strategy papers have until now insufficiently acknowledged the importance of environmental sustainability. To tackle this shortcoming, participative processes were initiated to ‘green’ PRSPs (meaning the integration of environmental sustainability as a cross-cutting issue). This supposes a process approach to decision-making and implies opening up the policy process to a wide range of societal actors. This approach is conceptualised as a sustainability assessment. A descriptive analysis of the Benin PRSP-greening initiative is presented, based on interviews and on literature research. Subsequently, issues of importance in appreciating the wider impact of PRSP-greening are suggested. Besides the quality improvements of the PRSP, greening contributes to a gradual change in the way decision-making is perceived and contributes to social learning. Furthermore, it is a promising approach that contributes to the institutionalisation of environmental sustainability in Africa.

Exploring conservation discourses in the Galapagos Islands: A case study of the Galapagos giant tortoises

Conservation discourses change rapidly both at global and local scales. To be able to capture these shifts and the relationships between humans and nature, we focused on a local and iconic conservation case: the Galapagos giant tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.). We used the Q methodology to contextualize conservation for science and decision making and to explore the multidimensionality of the conservation concept in Galapagos. The results indicate four prevailing discourses: (1) Multi-actor governance; (2) giant tortoise and ecosystems conservation; (3) community governance; and (4) market and tourism centred. These findings allow us to identify foreseeable points of disagreement, as well as areas of consensus, and to discuss the implication of the findings to address socio-ecological conservation and sustainability challenges. This can help the different involved stakeholders (managers, scientists and local communities) to the design and apply contextualized conservation actions and policies to contribute to a better sustainable management of the archipelago.

Analytic framework for assessing participation processes and outcomes of climate change adaptation tools.

The assumptions and empirical evidence linking climate change adaptation to development cooperation have led to the emergence of a range of climate change adaptation tools aiming at improving the quality of development cooperation initiatives in times of global change. In order to assess the quality of these tools, we develop an analytic framework to critically assess the social learning and sustainable development outcomes of climate change adaptation tools. The analytic framework defines project objectives, participation typology, participation tools, participation stages, scenarios development, modelling exercises, stakeholder analysis and risk communication strategies that support quality participation outcomes.

Comparison of techniques for eliciting views and judgements in decision‐making

1. Decision-making is a complex process that typically includes a series of stages: identifying the issue, considering possible options, making judgements and then making a decision by combining in ...

Academic capacity building: holding up a mirror

Based on our involvement in numerous consortia and projects with colleagues from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as on our extensive fieldwork experience in the global South, we have a shared concern on the actual inclusion of LMIC colleagues and institutions in coproducing highly valuable and policy-relevant science. While capacity building is stated as a major goal in various international research projects, especially when involving partners from LMICs or when focusing on research activities in these countries, we think that research from established groups and universities particularly in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), receives more interest and respect on a disproportionate basis. With the present submission, we hope to feed the debate on the academic valorization of research performed by LMICs scholars. Though difficult to measure, this merits close scrutiny.

Developing an Environmental Sustainability Toolkit to Integrate Climate Change Issues in Development Cooperation

The KLIMOS research platform on climate change and development cooperation is an inter-disciplinary and inter-university research platform working on climate change adaptation and mitigation in development cooperation. Within KLIMOS, our team is working on the integration of environmental sustainability issues in development interventions in Belgium’s southern partner countries, through the development of an environmental sustainability toolkit. The toolkit consists of a screening instrument and a database that need to be used together when preparing, monitoring and/or evaluating development interventions. This allows development practitioners in North and South to mainstream key environmental sustainability aspects such as climate change, but also biodiversity, desertification and deforestation, into the different aid modalities (projects, budget support, programmes, national strategies, etc.). A number of case studies will be conducted to test the toolkit in different contexts and to familiarize future users with the approach. In the context of this paper, we will describe the genesis of the toolkit, as well as the contents and the process of the proposed first version (toolkit 1.0). Finally, we will analyse the potential of the toolkit in the Sahel partner countries of the Belgian fund for food security through a brief case study in Benin. The paper concludes with some thoughts on how to fine-tune the toolkit methodology with the integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach, which is used successfully by non-governmental organizations in the region. The case study will allow us to bridge the gap between “abstract” climate change mainstreaming goals and the local realities in the South, by enriching the toolkit approach with IWRM insights.

Emergent conservation conflicts in the Galapagos Islands: Human-giant tortoise interactions in the rural area of Santa Cruz Island

The conservation of biodiverse areas around the world has contributed to the protection and recovery of endangered species. This has been the case for 11 species of Galapagos giant tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.) that today are successfully maintained over six islands: Española, Santiago, Pinzon, Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. A favourable state of conservation will depend however on future development in the islands. In Santa Cruz Island the development of the agricultural areas has encroached on the migratory routes of the southwestern species C. porteri and may be an emergent conflict for tortoise conservation. We investigated the social and ecological inter-linkages using two methods framed under a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approach: semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to study farmers’ perceptions and attitudinal factors regarding giant tortoises; as well as the associated socio-economic impacts of the conflict. Moreover, we coupled the PRA approach with an ecological assessment of giant tortoises’ population density by performing transect counts during the two yearly phases of giant tortoises’ migration to the lowlands (January to June) and back to the highlands (July to December). Our results indicate that farmers reporting damage and cultivating crops have higher odds of taking actions (fencing and physical actions) towards giant tortoises; regardless of having (or not) a negative perception towards the species. The economic losses for crops and fences averaged 2.8 USD/m2 and 13USD/m, respectively, and provide an initial step to further analyse and characterise the direct and indirect damage costs. Finally, we estimated a density of 76 and 185 individuals of giant tortoises per km2 in the rural area for the lowland and highland migratory phases, respectively. Our approach provides grounded scientific social and ecological information to effectively inform and aid managers, policy and decision makers in the selection of adequate social and ecological criteria to implement the best available options in the resolution of this emergent conservation conflict.