Navigating complexity through knowledge coproduction: Mainstreaming ecosystem services into disaster risk reduction

Abstract

Achieving the policy and practice shifts needed to secure ecosystem services is hampered by the inherent complexities of ecosystem services and their management. Methods for the participatory production and exchange of knowledge offer an avenue to navigate this complexity together with the beneficiaries and managers of ecosystem services. We develop and apply a knowledge coproduction approach based on social-ecological systems research and assess its utility in generating shared knowledge and action for ecosystem services. The approach was piloted in South Africa across four case studies aimed at reducing the risk of disasters associated with floods, wildfires, storm waves, and droughts. Different configurations of stakeholders (knowledge brokers, assessment teams, implementers, and bridging agents) were involved in collaboratively designing each study, generating and exchanging knowledge, and planning for implementation. The approach proved useful in the development of shared knowledge on the sizable contribution of ecosystem services to disaster risk reduction. This knowledge was used by stakeholders to design and implement several actions to enhance ecosystem services, including new investments in ecosystem restoration, institutional changes in the private and public sector, and innovative partnerships of science, practice, and policy. By bringing together multiple disciplines, sectors, and stakeholders to jointly produce the knowledge needed to understand and manage a complex system, knowledge coproduction approaches offer an effective avenue for the improved integration of ecosystem services into decision making.

Keywords: boundary work; natural hazards; participatory research; regulating services; resilience.

Fig. 1.

Location of four case studies on flood, storm wave, drought, and wildfire in the Southern Cape of South Africa. The map depicts the distribution of current land use and is transposed over a digital elevation model for illustrative purposes.

Fig. 2.

Outline of the knowledge coproduction approach developed and evaluated across four case studies. The approach moves through three phases from codesigning the project, coproducing the knowledge using a social–ecological systems (SES) approach with scenario planning, and finally collaboratively designing and implementing responses to manage ecosystem services to mitigate natural hazard impacts. The groups of participants in each phase are indicated and include knowledge brokers leading and facilitating the case study, assessment teams of technical experts, implementers from public and private sectors, and bridging agents who interface between the research and implementation contexts.

Fig. 3.

Changes in natural hazard intensity across codeveloped scenarios of future ecosystem change in four case studies of flood, wildfire, sea storm, and drought in the Southern Cape of South Africa. Changes in intensity are measured for flood and sea storm as increases in daily flows (m³) and wave run-up height (m) compared with flows and run-up height found during an existing 1:100-y event. Changes in wildfire intensity are measured as increases in fireline intensity (kW⋅m^–1) whereas drought intensity is measured as decreases in monthly flows (million m³) of droughts at 70% and 90% probability of exceedance on the flow duration curve (defined here as low flows and extreme low flows, respectively). Changes in intensity are extracted from ref. and reflected for synthesis purposes as a percentage of the baseline scenario intensity using a logarithmic scale. Impacts of a future climate scenario (56) are also depicted.