13
framework, political ecology research has analyzed the different actions and
perceptions that social actors have and their relations of dependence and influence
with their environment, together with the understanding of what causes such
interrelationships (Robbins 2012). Thus, the emphasis is placed on the relationship
of environmental, ideological, social, economic, and political aspects on each particular spatiotemporal context while articulating their local, regional, and global
components (Greenberg and Park 1994). In both approaches, for research to have
real repercussions in the objectives of sustainable development, an emphasis is
placed on the importance of the role of institutions and social organizations in environmental contexts, where the individual and social diversity must be considered
and the power relationships understood through governance studies.
Dryland socio-ecological, biocultural systems, and sustainable land management
practices are affected by global socio-environmental change (i.e., land use change,
climate change, diversity loss, livestock grazing, mining, migration, among others).
Understanding specific historical, socio-cultural, socio-economic, and socio- political
contexts will allow interregional, intercultural, and inter-policy comparisons among
similar dryland SES and their divergent responses to global environmental change
drivers. For RISZA we adopt the drylands development paradigm (Reynolds et al.
2007), as it considers the complexity, diversity, and uncertainty as inherent properties
of dryland SES, as well as different system components, slow variables, cross-scale
linkages, and diverse knowledge systems both as scientific and operational framework (Reynolds et al. 2007; Stringer et al. 2017).
Part II: Transdisciplinarity in Drylands
Participatory research originated in the 1970s in Latin America as part of social
movements and processes of policy transformations related to social and education
planning (Freire 1970). New research approaches with active democratic participation of the population via participatory mechanisms were proposed to plan and
execute new education and development projects (Durston and Miranda 2002), as
well as research efforts for conservation aims (Newing et al. 2011). Participatory
research requires the fulfillment of a series of operational procedures to acquire useful knowledge and to eventually induce change in a situation or system. Many different methods have been efficiently used, the most common being action research
(Whyte 1989), participatory rural appraisal (Chambers 1983), participatory mapping (Chapin et al. 2005), and participatory workshops and monitoring (Knapp
et al. 2011). Due to its participatory nature, dialogue development among participating actors leads to the co-production of knowledge, allows the systematization of
experiences, collective wisdom, and local knowledge (Ander-Egg 1990), and generates confidence among participants. All of these components are essential in positive governance (Schuttenberg and Guth 2015).
Problem solving inherently is multi, inter, or transdisciplinarity, requiring necessarily participatory research, because it involves collaboration among different
stakeholders and is based on the generation of knowledge that emerges and extends
1 Introduction: International Network for the Sustainability…
framework, political ecology research has analyzed the different actions and
perceptions that social actors have and their relations of dependence and influence
with their environment, together with the understanding of what causes such
interrelationships (Robbins 2012). Thus, the emphasis is placed on the relationship
of environmental, ideological, social, economic, and political aspects on each particular spatiotemporal context while articulating their local, regional, and global
components (Greenberg and Park 1994). In both approaches, for research to have
real repercussions in the objectives of sustainable development, an emphasis is
placed on the importance of the role of institutions and social organizations in environmental contexts, where the individual and social diversity must be considered
and the power relationships understood through governance studies.
Dryland socio-ecological, biocultural systems, and sustainable land management
practices are affected by global socio-environmental change (i.e., land use change,
climate change, diversity loss, livestock grazing, mining, migration, among others).
Understanding specific historical, socio-cultural, socio-economic, and socio- political
contexts will allow interregional, intercultural, and inter-policy comparisons among
similar dryland SES and their divergent responses to global environmental change
drivers. For RISZA we adopt the drylands development paradigm (Reynolds et al.
2007), as it considers the complexity, diversity, and uncertainty as inherent properties
of dryland SES, as well as different system components, slow variables, cross-scale
linkages, and diverse knowledge systems both as scientific and operational framework (Reynolds et al. 2007; Stringer et al. 2017).
Part II: Transdisciplinarity in Drylands
Participatory research originated in the 1970s in Latin America as part of social
movements and processes of policy transformations related to social and education
planning (Freire 1970). New research approaches with active democratic participation of the population via participatory mechanisms were proposed to plan and
execute new education and development projects (Durston and Miranda 2002), as
well as research efforts for conservation aims (Newing et al. 2011). Participatory
research requires the fulfillment of a series of operational procedures to acquire useful knowledge and to eventually induce change in a situation or system. Many different methods have been efficiently used, the most common being action research
(Whyte 1989), participatory rural appraisal (Chambers 1983), participatory mapping (Chapin et al. 2005), and participatory workshops and monitoring (Knapp
et al. 2011). Due to its participatory nature, dialogue development among participating actors leads to the co-production of knowledge, allows the systematization of
experiences, collective wisdom, and local knowledge (Ander-Egg 1990), and generates confidence among participants. All of these components are essential in positive governance (Schuttenberg and Guth 2015).
Problem solving inherently is multi, inter, or transdisciplinarity, requiring necessarily participatory research, because it involves collaboration among different
stakeholders and is based on the generation of knowledge that emerges and extends
1 Introduction: International Network for the Sustainability…