Abstract
Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science needs “best practices”. Presenting the framework and main results of the integra tive research project Mountland, we relate our approach to a concept for an ideal-typical transdisciplinary research process. Mountland investigated the impacts of climate and land-use changes on ecosystem processes in three Swiss mountain regions, building on interdisciplinarity and involving stakeholders. The project identified key characteristics relevant in all case study areas and names three aspects essential for an institutional framework to maintain and strengthen important mountain ecosystem goods and services: policy integration, network governance and integration of stakeholders. Comparing Mountland with an ideal-typical transdisciplinary research process, we highlight which components of such a process could or could not successfully be implemented, and discuss the coping strategies we used. Our key message: a longterm commitment to continuous research in a case study region plays a crucial role in successful transdisciplinary research.
Highlights
Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science needs “best practices”
The concept of an ideal-typical transdisciplinary research process has recently been described for sustainability science (Lang et al 2012)
Specific challenges during different project phases are examined and strategies for coping with them presented. This allows enriching the concept of an ideal-typical process by including details about concrete approaches taken to handle specific challenges in a successful integrative project dealing with global change impacts on mountain regions
Summary
Mountain ecosystem services are vulnerable to climatic and land-use changes. The Mountland project revealed that policy integration, network governance and integration of stakeholders are essential for developing sustainable land-use practices, as is researchers’ long-term engagement for a successful transdisciplinary research process. Commitment to Continuous Research Is a Key Factor in Transdisciplinarity.
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