Governance strategy for sustainable land management and water reuse: Challenges for transdisciplinary research

Abstract

AbstractSustainability research often recommends the application of integrated and system‐based management approaches for overcoming complex problems of land and natural resource use. This paper poses four major governance challenges for sustainable land management as its point of departure: (i) fragmented knowledge and expertise, (ii) heterogeneous actors, (iii) institutional diversity and (iv) inadequate processes for coordination, adaptation and learning. Taking these challenges for conceptual orientation, we analyze a process for designing a governance strategy for treated wastewater uses. Drawing on a transdisciplinary research project that empirically explored the potential of water reuse in two case study regions in north‐east Germany, the paper reflects upon the project's experiences to arrive at practicable governance solutions. Our conclusions are intended to provide insights regarding challenges facing transdisciplinary research, acting on the science–policy–practice interface for dealing with such complex land and water management problems, and the coproduction of accepted governance solutions.