Communications on Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss with Local Populations: Exploring Best-practices and Postcolonial Moments in Eight Case Studies from across the Globe

55 Pages Posted: 24 May 2021 Last revised: 3 Mar 2022

See all articles by Dawud Ansari

Dawud Ansari

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Regine Schönenberg

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Melissa Abud

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Laura Becerra

National University of Colombia

Anne Cristina de la Vega-Leinert

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Nigel Dudley

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Michael Dunlop

Suffolk University - Department of Information Systems & OM

Carolina Figueroa

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Oscar Guevara

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Philipp Hauser

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hannes Hobbie

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Mostafa A. R. Hossain

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jean Hugé

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Luc Janssens de Bisthoven

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hilde Keunen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Claudia Munera-Roldan

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jan Petzold

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Anne-Julie Rochette

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Matthew Schmidt

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Charlotte Schumann

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Sayanti Sengupta

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Lorrae van Kerkhoff

Australian National University (ANU)

Maarten P. M. Vanhove

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Carina Wyborn

Luc Hoffman Institute

Date Written: May 1, 2021

Abstract

Climate change and biodiversity loss trigger policies worldwide, many of which target or impact local communities. Although research, international development, and policy implementation (and, thus, success in fighting both threats) require thoughtful consideration and communication of the underlying concepts, field work encounters a cascade of tangible barriers. Technoscientific representations of quantifiable causes and effects often remain alien to local perspectives, and failure to involve communities constantly and genuinely creates gaps that may ultimately prevent research and policy success. Therefore, in this article, we present the results of a collective self-assessment exercise for a panel of eight case studies (covering four continents) of communications between project teams and local communities within the context of climate change or biodiversity loss. Our analysis develops eight indicators of good stakeholder communication, which we construct from the literature, in addition to Verran (2002) 's concept of postcolonial moments as a communicative utopia. Our study contributes to the (analytical) understanding of such communications, while also providing tangible insights for field work and policy recommendations. We demonstrate that applying our indicators can foster a more successful communication, although we find an apparent divergence between timing, complexity, and (introspective) effort of the project teams. While three case studies qualify for postcolonial moments, our findings show that especially the scrutiny of power relations and genuine knowledge co-production are still rare. We verify the potency of various instruments for deconstructing science; however, we also show that their sophistication cannot substitute other crucial factors. Instead, simple deconstruction efforts may suffice, while trust-building, proper time management, and an advanced awareness of the scientists are crucial. Lastly, we consider that reforming rigid and inadequate funding policies will help overcome significant barriers and improve the work in and with local communities.

Keywords: Transdisciplinary communication, climate change, biodiversity loss, co-production, postcolonial moments, local communities

JEL Classification: Q54,Q56,Q57,F54,R11

Suggested Citation

Ansari, Dawud and Schönenberg, Regine and Abud, Melissa and Becerra, Laura and de la Vega-Leinert, Anne Cristina and Dudley, Nigel and Dunlop, Michael and Figueroa, Carolina and Guevara, Oscar and Hauser, Philipp and Hobbie, Hannes and Hossain, Mostafa A. R. and Hugé, Jean and Janssens de Bisthoven, Luc and Keunen, Hilde and Munera-Roldan, Claudia and Petzold, Jan and Rochette, Anne-Julie and Schmidt, Matthew and Schumann, Charlotte and Sengupta, Sayanti and Stoll-Kleemann, Susanne and van Kerkhoff, Lorrae and Vanhove, Maarten P. M. and Wyborn, Carina, Communications on Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss with Local Populations: Exploring Best-practices and Postcolonial Moments in Eight Case Studies from across the Globe (May 1, 2021). DIW Berlin Discussion Paper No. 1945, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3847770 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3847770

Dawud Ansari (Contact Author)

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany

Regine Schönenberg

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Melissa Abud

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Laura Becerra

National University of Colombia ( email )

Carrera 30 45-03
Bogota, None
Colombia

Anne Cristina De la Vega-Leinert

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Nigel Dudley

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Michael Dunlop

Suffolk University - Department of Information Systems & OM ( email )

United States

Carolina Figueroa

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Oscar Guevara

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Philipp Hauser

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hannes Hobbie

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Mostafa A. R. Hossain

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jean Hugé

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Luc Janssens de Bisthoven

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Hilde Keunen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Claudia Munera-Roldan

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jan Petzold

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Anne-Julie Rochette

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Matthew Schmidt

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Charlotte Schumann

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Sayanti Sengupta

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Susanne Stoll-Kleemann

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Lorrae Van Kerkhoff

Australian National University (ANU)

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

Maarten P. M. Vanhove

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Carina Wyborn

Luc Hoffman Institute ( email )

Stockholm
Sweden

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