Conservation conflicts
A sustainable future recognises the interdependence of ecological integrity and social justice. However, this can be difficult to achieve in practice. Those seeking biodiversity or other conservation goals can clash with people who have different values, beliefs or priorities. For example, the idea of a jaguar prowling through tropical forest may be exciting and desirable for a conservationist in Scotland, but may engender mixed feelings to the smallholder seeking to protect sheep and cattle in Mexico. We explored the human dimensions of Jaguar conservation. We have contributed to the theory of conservation conflicts, especially by emphasising the importance of tolerance and perception of risk along with wildlife impacts. Some of this work was done together with our then PhD student, Lou Lecuyer.
Communities and smallholder livelihoods
Smallholders in Mexico have diverse livelihood strategies, focused around traditional milpa and subsistence agriculture practices, sustained by government subsidies and in many cases by remittances. We have seen evidence of climate change and have explored how households and communities can adapt to changing precipitation and extreme weather events. We have explored mechanisms and how indigenous, traditional and local knowledges can support such adaptation. We have seen a reduction in intergenerational knowledge exchange, meaning that young people in rural Calakmul are losing understanding and skills for the local forest. Our research was novel in assessing the implications of forest border crossing with Guatemala in this region. We continue to evaluate the role of the ejido in agriculture and in community-based forestry practices. Some of this work was done together with postdoc Sofia Mardero and now PhD student Grecia Casanova.
Sustainability governance and policy coherence
The governance of sustainability needs to occur across spatial and temporal scales. We have been involved with the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, exploring practices and needs in specific local communities, co-developing regional strategies and investigating the implications of national policies at a local level. The UN Sustainable Development Goals offer a policy framework to align sustainability efforts. However, good intentions do not always manifest in practice, and we have recently identified the need for and made recommendations for policy coherence. In particular, we have been interested in the implementation and effects of the Mexican agroforestry-development policy Sembrando Vida on local communities and ecosystems.
Education for sustainable development
Understanding and implementing sustainability requires awareness, knowledge skills and competencies at all levels and across all sectors. We support formal education for sustainable development in our institutional teaching and learning programmes. Rehema has taught in a sustainable development programme for 17 years. Sophie and Birgit collaborate on an interinstitutional and interdisciplinary ecological master’s programme that has been running for 10 years. We also recognise the need for formal learning in schools, continued professional development in sectors such as agriculture, development and conservation, and non-formal learning in community contexts. Our research explores the extent to which education supports sustainability competencies, and assesses regional education for sustainable development needs. We exchange ideas and practices with Learning for Sustainability Scotland and with other colleagues in the global UN Regional Centre of Expertise network. We have fun developing and trialling innovative pedagogies.