Research purpose:

Diverse ecosystem services should be managed as commons by collaboration of various stakeholders with different values and interests. This project focuses on the formation and circulation of a novel concept of local knowledge (Integrated Local Environmental Knowledge, ILEK) blending scientific and local daily-life knowledge productions. Diverse ecosystem services should be managed on the basis of collective knowledge base such as ILEK. We examine mechanisms to facilitate production and circulation of ILEK to understand ILEK-based adaptive governance mechanisms for creation and sustainable governance of such commons. This initiative-based project conducts meta-analysis and integrates a wide range of results of RIHN projects and locally accumulated knowledge through daily practices of stakeholders in various areas of the world, to understand formation mechanisms of ILEK and drivers of adaptive governance using ILEK as a knowledge base. Residential researchers living in local communities play important roles to produce ILEK essential for adaptive governance. Bilateral translators of knowledge promote circulation of ILEK among different stakeholders. The project invites these important actors in local communities to provide viewpoints of ‘knowledge users’ to elucidate production and circulation mechanisms of ILEK for sustainable adaptive governance of local commons. Analyses of circulation of knowledge across multiple scales by cross-level knowledge translators clarify cross-scale governance for solutions of global environment problems. 

 

Background of research:

Bottom-up approaches driven by divers stakeholders of local communities are essential to solve diverse global environment problems including worldwide degradation of ecosystem services which comes up to the surface on the basis of locally specific problem structures. Scientific as well as various types of local knowledge systems are required for the stakeholders to effectively manage ecosystem services. Studies have been accumulated to describe characteristics and structures of these knowledge bases, but design-oriented analyses of production and circulation mechanisms of knowledge to contribute to adaptive governance of ecosystem services have not been conducted in detail. This research focuses on the roles and functions of residential researchers and bilateral knowledge translators as important actors to provide knowledge basis for decision makings and actions by local stakeholders, and production and circulation of the Integrated Local Environmental Knowledge (ILEK), a transdisciplinary blend of science and various types of local knowledge, to understand mechanisms to facilitate collaboration of diverse actors to achieve adaptive governance of local communities to design sustainable future.

 

Contribution to solutions of global environmental problems:

This research contributes to bottom-up solutions of diverse global environmental problems by clarifying adaptive governance systems of ecosystem services supported by production and circulation of the Integrated Local Environmental Knowledge (ILEK). It aims to clarify theory and approaches of solutions of global environmental problems from the viewpoints of knowledge users (stakeholders) to establish adaptive governance systems of diverse ecosystem services by effectively integrating scientific knowledge and various types of local knowledge deeply embedded in everyday life. These results will contribute to formation of future visions of “science in/with society” and “society making full use of science” to support bottom-up solutions of diverse global environmental problems.

Research plan:

This project effectively inherits research outcomes of cognitive sciences from previous RIHN projects and integrates them with various cases of issue-driven and solution-oriented science approaches from the world, which involve collaborative interactions between scientists and stakeholders to produce and utilize ILEK for creation and sustainable management of local commons. The project aims to elucidate pathways to promote science in/with society as well as to design social systems to make full use of science for solutions of diverse global environmental problems. The project analyzes scientific processes and outcomes of various cases of solution-oriented knowledge productions by residential and other types of researches including RIHN projects from the viewpoints of knowledge users, based on the hypothesis that the multiple roles and functions of important actors to produce and circulate ILEK support the adaptive governance of local communities for sustainable futures. We have established the preliminary conceptual models of ILEK-based adaptive governance based on the framing of local stakeholders and potential responses of stakeholder networks. In 2014, we aimed to elaborate these theoretical frames from meta-analysis of case studies and modeling to produce verifiable hypothesis for designing action-based verification processes. We also conducted analysis of roles and functions of bilateral knowledge translators in the contexts of cross-scale collaboration mediated by knowledge flow across multiple scale levels from local to global. Through the previous research, we recognized that local communities are almost always interacting with external actors and institutions including global and regional ones. Cross-scale translators are an important component of stakeholder networks in each local community. This observation led us to incorporate cross-scale analysis into each case study, and to avoid analyzing cross-scale governance independently in a separate research group. Action-based verification processes have started from FR3 in selected case study sites to incorporate cross-scale elements as much as possible. With the approaches integrating empirical studies, Action-based verification processes and theoretical analysis, the project aims to elucidate the way forwards toward solution of global environmental problems.

 

Research methods:

This initiative based project employs a unique transdisciplinary approach incorporating feedback loops connecting local empirical analyses and abstract theoretical levels. At the local empirical level, we identified 61 case study sites based on the presence of dedicated residential researchers or translators among project members closely collaborating with diverse stakeholders in each case study site. Fifteen sites of action-based verification have been extracted among the case study sites. Organizations and people working as a bilateral translator connecting multiple scales from global to local levels are reviewed for their knowledge production and translation, and cases of such cross-level knowledge translators are identified for cross-scale analysis. Project member scientists conduct co-design, co-production and co-delivery processes of transdisciplinary research through daily interactions with local leaders, decision makers, cross-level translators and other stakeholders. These localized research results are integrated by meta-analysis using semi-structured interviews, text analysis, GIS-based cluster analysis and conceptual as well as mathematical modeling to identify important drivers of adaptive governance. The scientists and stakeholders at the local level researches will be involved at the meta-level theoretical analysis through the deliberative stakeholder workshops planned in FR3 and 4. The workshop is designed to critically review and discuss the outcomes of theoretical meta-analysis to give feedback from the local perspectives to both theoreticians and empirical researches. These feedback at the workshop will be immediately brought back to local level research and actions by participating scientists and stakeholders deeply embedded to each case study sites. This two-tier structure of transdisciplinary approaches will enable the scientists and stakeholders to achieve close collaboration and mutual learning throughout the entire research processes to produce acceptable and applicable way forwards for designing sustainable societies at local as well as global scale levels.

 

Research organizations:

The research organization has been composed of Case Study, Social Experiment, Multi-scale Analysis, Theory and Modeling, and Managing groups together with thematic task forces (TFs) cross-cutting the research groups. The Case Study group with three working teams (East Asia: EU & North America: Developing Countries) conducts field research of diverse knowledge systems produced by RIHN projects and other researches in different localities of the world. We design and conduct action-based verification of hypothesis focusing on ILEK-based adaptive governance mechanisms to clarify drivers of adaptive societal changes. A part of Case Study group has been re-organized into Action-based Verification group in FR3. We also make a quest of mechanisms to facilitate cross-scale actions for global environment problems, by analyzing roles of bilateral translators across global, regional and local scales. Multi-scale Analysis group consisted of Top Down and Bottom Up teams was merged into Action-based Verification group to work together with other groups to elucidate dynamic translation and circulation of knowledge across different scale levels to facilitate cross-scale adaptive governance. Theory and Modeling group works together with other groups to conduct meta-analysis of the case studies to establish and elaborate parameters for modeling. The results are fed back to other groups to refine research strategies. In order to facilitate interactions among diverse project members with different academic background, the cross-cutting Task Forces (TFs) are organized at different levels of analyses, including Ethics of Design-oriented Science, ILEK Simulator, Environmental Governance, Transdisciplinarity, Residential Research, Sato-umi Fisheries Resource Management, Biosphare Reserves, and Resource Management Certification TFs. The Managing group coordinate diverse research activities of these groups and TFs, develop and improve basic concepts and strategies, and integrate research results for design of sustainable societies. Comprehensive understanding of adaptive governance mechanisms of commons is expected to be achieved with this integrative research design.

 

Research outcomes of the year 2014:

 

a) ILEK Triangle model

While collaborative research and actions were continued in each case study sites, preliminary analysis were conducted regarding knowledge production, circulation and utilization for local decision making and actions in 11 cases of RIHN research project to construct a conceptual model of ILEK-based local adaptive governance for meta-analysis and integration of case studies and cross-scale analysis. The model, named “ILEK Triangle”, is composed of interactive system of three important elements of ILEK-based adaptive governance (knowledge production, decision making and action at individual or small group level, and formal/informal institutional changes), driven by knowledge producers, knowledge users and translators. In this ILEK Triangle, ILEK productions were hypothesized to lead to dynamic changes of institutions toward sustainability through two different pathways: first, through changes of individual decision makings and actions resulting in adaptive changes of social systems, and second, through direct effects upon formal and informal institutions and collective knowledge systems in the community. In order to identify important drivers to mobilize this system, detailed analyses of interview records of RIHN project leaders were conducted. A set of hypothetical drivers were identified by these analyses, which were classified into five categories (below).  

 

1. create and visualize values

Produced knowledge creates or visualizes new shareable values in local communities to mobilize collaborative actions.

2. create new linkages (local and cross-scale)

Produced knowledge creates new linkages among actors within and outside the community, including actors addressing broader issues.

3. provide options and opportunities 

Produced knowledge expand options and opportunities for sustainable actions among stakeholders and mediates changes in environmental perception.

4. create collective actions

Produced knowledge creates collective actions, transforming existing local institutions or creating new ones.

5. appropriate translation

Knowledge translators (individual or organizational) mediate changes in individual actions or formal and informal social systems by appropriate selection, modification and reconstruction of knowledge.

 

b) Preliminary results of discourse analysis

We developed detailed interview protocol based on ILEK Triangle in March 2013 to extract perceptions of scientists and stakeholders collaborating in ILEK productions and community actions in case study sites with regard to important drivers of ILEK-based adaptive governance. More concise and user friendly self-evaluation questionnaire was also developed in 2013 by improving the interview protocol. Interview Specialists Group (ISG) was established and has accumulated interview records, including translators, knowledge producers, and 8 knowledge users. The interviewees commonly shared importance of opportunities to expand human networks by collaborative actions supported by ILEK, which were largely dependent on attributions of knowledge producers and translators, as well as knowledge itself. The analysis of participatory observations by Case Study and Action-based Verification group clarified that new values were created and visualized through the collaborative interactions, and options and opportunities also expanded as a result of collaboration. Various types of actions created by knowledge production and circulation effectively mobilized local institutions, thereby promoting decision making and actions. Translators played significant roles in collaborative networking by bridging gaps in knowledge hierarchy and providing legitimacy for different stakeholders to collaborate. This hypothetical drivers of knowledge-based adaptive governance should be verified in the remaining project periods by both empirical studies and theoretical modeling.

 

c) Progress in text analysis and theoretical modeling

Methods of computer-assisted text analysis based on the ILEK database launched have been developed to conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses of discourses of scientists, translators and stakeholders accumulated in the project research. Semantic network analysis methodologies have been developed to extract major concepts delivered in the narratives of various actors, and the changes of message structures according to time axes. We aim to improve this technique to provide data sets for mathematical modeling of dynamic changes of knowledge circulation networks in the adaptive governance processes.

Approaches of mathematical modeling of ILEK-based adaptive governance have been improved in the process of intensive interactions between theoreticians, empirical scientists and stakeholders. Particularly promising approaches include communication dynamics models analogous to evolutionary dynamics of knowledge as a meme, complex network models including asymmetric simple exclusion processes (ASEP) focusing on functions of bilateral translators in knowledge circulation networks (≈social network), and game theoretic models of exclusion mechanisms of free-riders in adaptive governance processes. 

 

d) Academic and societal outputs

The basic concepts of the project including ILEK, residential researchers and bilateral knowledge translators, as well as methodological framework of the project were summarized and published in a book chapter in English ( Sato, T, 2014, "Integrated Local Environmental Knowledge Supporting Adaptive Governance of Local Communities”, Alvares, C. ed, Multicultural Knowledge and the University, Multiversity India, Mapusa, India, pp.268-273.). We organized the first ILEK project international symposium in September 2014 entitled "Knowledge Translation:Bridging Gaps between Science and Society", and an international symposium co-organized by University of Saskatchewan and Kyoto Model Forest Association titled "International Symposium on Community-based Management of Forest Resources: Perspectives on culture, learning and adaptation in Canada and Japan" in March 2015. The Resource Management Certification TF organised a symposium on "Producing Intangible Values of Agriculture and Fisheries Products: Local certification and trust formation mechanisms" in February 2015. In order to share general research outcomes of the project with various stakeholders to receive their input to the research processes, we had a deliberative workshop inviting 45 local stakeholders including residential as well as visiting researchers in January 2015.

a) Meta-analysis and modeling

The improved version of self-evaluation questionnaire will be applied to case studies and social experiments to accumulate data to extract perceptions on ILEK-based adaptive governance among scientists and stakeholders collaborating in ILEK productions and community actions. A new project researcher in charge of case studies in developing countries will play a key role in meta analysis of case studies outside Japan, especially in developing countries. Text data of naturally spoken narratives and writings of important actors in case study and action-based verification sites will also be accumulated to provide resources for discourse analysis.

In FR4, we will improve analysis of these interview records and narrative data using conventional and computer-assisted discourse analysis to elaborate hypotheses on important drivers and processes of ILEK-based adaptive governance. Computer-assisted analysis techniques including semantic network analysis will be further improved in close collaboration among modelers, database specialists and empirical scientists. Outcomes of these analyses will be successively delivered to the Theory and Modeling group to test various modeling approaches, and to the Action-based Verification group to promote verification of hypothesis in FR4. Research results are also applied to the design of ILEK Simulator scheduled to be launched toward the end of the project. 

 

b) Case studies and Action-based Verification

FR4 will be a critical stage of the project to implement action-based verification processes at selected sites to verify focused hypotheses on drivers and processes of ILEK-based adaptive governance. The designs of verification processes on the bases of ILEK Triangle model has been completed at 15 sites to address questions related to characterization of drivers of knowledge-based adaptive governance. Each verification process is composed of attempted or ongoing actions delivered by knowledge producers or translators and expected societal changes observable within the project period. We will organize the Action-based Verification Group with project members committed to each sites to improve the design and implementation and to integrate results. Societal changes resulted from experimental actions can be measured by dynamism of stakeholder networks, changes in perceptions among stakeholders and scientists, and emergence of collaborative actions. Methodologies of qualitative and quantitative evaluation of social dynamism will be established and improved in FR4.

 

c) Stakeholder workshop at meta-analysis level

Stakeholder workshops will be an important component of two-tier transdisciplinary approach in the project. We completed the first deliberative workshop in September 2014 (within Japan), and are designing a series of localized workshops in the verification sites outside Japan in 2015. The WS will mainly invite scientists and stakeholders deeply embedded to each case study sites. The protocol basically follows those utilized in World Wide Views on Biodiversity project. The output of the WS have been analysed collaboratively by scientists and stakeholders to provide feedback to both academic and stakeholder communities at local and cross-scale levels.

 

d) ILEK Simulator as a societal output of the project

In its initial design, we assumed that the final societal output of ILEK project would be societal changes in each case study site directly delivered by project members deeply embedded in each community. However, as we found collaboration among diverse actors within and outside the community could be an important driver of adaptive governance, a mechanism to promote mutual learning and interaction among diverse case study sites over the world was desperately needed. Based on the Web GIS system and semantic network analysis protocols, we started designing a web-based ILEK Simulator as the societal output of the project. ILEK Simulator provides plausible options and tips of ILEK-based adaptive governance fitted to particular local settings, together with real-life examples of local collaborative activities in other sites sharing common characteristics. ILEK Simulator will open a new pathway to connect local communities in the world for collaboration in adaptive governance processes.