Abstract
ABSTRACT The inclusion of diverse perspectives from different disciplines, genders and locations has become a foreground concern in environmental expertise. While inclusion is increasingly accounted for in the design and evaluation of expert organisations, questions remain about the extent to which the pursuit of inclusion equates to effective participation. Building on recent scholarship on expertise in environmental sociology and public participation in environmental governance, this paper puts forward the argument that enabling inclusion in international expert organisations can be supported by facilitating epistemic belonging – a state achieved not only through mutual recognition of skilful practice amongst their expert communities (i.e. group belonging) but also the mobilisation of material resources within and beyond these organisations that enable participating experts to assert their importance, define their specialist skills and to effectively enact their epistemic practices. In this account, I trace the institutionalization of biodiversity scenarios and models in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) to show how achieving epistemic belonging requires expert communities to actively reshape the resource environments in which they operate. This account extends current sociological perspectives on environmental expertise and offers insights for environmental expert organisations seeking to broaden their inclusion practices.
Highlights
The importance of inclusion in environmental exper tise is increasingly recognised
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has made explicit efforts to facilitate the inclusion of diverse experts and – despite still falling short of ambition – is widely recognised as a pioneer in inclusive approaches to environmental expertise (DíazReviriego, Turnhout, and Beck 2019; Arpin et al 2016)
The meet ing was a pivotal moment for the institutionalisation of scenarios and models within the IPBES process
Summary
The importance of inclusion in environmental exper tise is increasingly recognised. Diverse perspectives from different disciplines, genders and locations are thought to contribute to a more thorough understand ing of environmental issues, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and increase the legitimacy of that knowledge in different policy contexts (Hulme and Mahony 2010; Díaz-Reviriego, Turnhout, and Beck 2019). The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (hereafter IPBES, or ‘the Platform’) has made explicit efforts to facilitate the inclusion of diverse experts and – despite still falling short of ambition – is widely recognised as a pioneer in inclusive approaches to environmental expertise (DíazReviriego, Turnhout, and Beck 2019; Arpin et al 2016). Despite these efforts, there is more to be done before the pursuit of inclusion can be seen to equate to effective participation of diverse experts in international expert bodies
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