Environmental Policy (ENVPOL)
We conduct applied interdisciplinary research on land use change and natural resource use with a regional focus on Latin America, Afrika, and Europe. Our work often relies on qualitative and quantitative methods from environmental and agricultural economics and land system science. Ongoing projects look at the relationship between trade and biodiversity, the effects of public policies on tropical deforestation, and the role of bioeconomic innovation in sustainability transformations.
ENVPOL Projects
Keywords
biodiversity, tipping points, social-ecological systems
Countries
Peru, Brazil, Bolivia
Summary
The main interest of this project is to generate knowledge base for a more sustainable land-use management based on the functional biodiversity of the soil ecosystem and its relationship with social-ecological systems resilience.
In order to generate and provide such knowledge, PRODIGY aims at: (1) generating a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to tipping points in social-ecological systems, (2) raising the awareness of severe impacts of rapid system shifts, and (3) developing viable management options to avoid the crossing of tipping points. PRODIGY´s research approach is framed within a cascade in which interrelated tipping points in four elements: (1) the soil ecosystem, (2) the economic livelihood, (3) social cohesion, and (4) the regional climate, are assessed.
The project research area is located where the Amazon regions of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia meet, in the so called MAP region (Madre de Dios in Peru, Acre in Brazil and Pando in Bolivia).
Methodology
(1) Assessing the diversity of functional genes in the soil biota
(2) Valuing the contribution of soil biodiversity on economic livelihoods
(3) Assessing the effect of biophysical, social and economic shocks on social cohesion and land-use decisions
(4) Modeling the potential effects of social-ecological system changes on the regional climate
Main Cooperation Partners
Universität Koblenz-Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences
Universität Hannover, Institute of Soil Science
Freie Universität Berlin, Institute for Latin American Studies
Universität Kassel, Center for Environmental Systems Research
Universität Bonn, Center for Development Research
Universität Hamburg, Institute of Geografy
Herencia (Bolivia)
Universidadde Federal do Acre (Brazil)
Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (Peru)
Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (Peru)
Asociación Boliviana para la investigación y conservación de ecosistemas Andino-Amazónicos (Bolivia)
Empresa Brasilera de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa)
Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental Amazonica (Brazil)
Instituto de Mudancas Climaticas (Brazil)
Universidad Amazonica de Pando (Bolivia)
Main Funding Partners
BMBF
Duration of the Project
2019 - 08 / 2025
Project Homepage
https://www.uni-koblenz-landau.de/de/landau/fb7/umweltwissenschaften/phys-geo/forschungsprojekte/PRODIGY
Keywords
Biodiversity, transformative change, food and biomass value chains, co-produced knowledge
Countries
Austria, Brazil, Cyprus, EU, Germany, Global, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, United Kingdom, United States
Summary
The overall objective of RAINFOREST is to contribute to enabling, upscaling and accelerating transformative change in Europe towards reducing biodiversity impacts of major food and biomass value chains. This will be done by closing knowledge gaps, demonstrating the effective co-generation and use of knowledge in stakeholder processes to formulate transformative policy options and related innovative governance arrangements, including government procurement practices and regulations.
Specifically, the aim is to i) co-develop and investigate just and viable pathways for transformative change and policies for their implementation with stakeholders, ii) enhance assessment models to allow for the quantification of biodiversity impacts at different spatial and organizational levels (e.g. company, national and global scales), iii) highlight and exemplify the application of the investigated pathways for transformative change in case studies, iv) investigate and co-generate governance and financial reforms, including public sector procurement, at all scales; v) explain, visualize and communicate the results and tools to a diverse audience.
Methodology
RAINFOREST combines different approaches and models from social and natural sciences, such as targeted literature reviews, surveys and interviews, desk-based scoping studies, integrated assessment models, life cycle assessment and multiregional input output models. In addition, we will organize multiple workshops and policy business fora to discuss with and learn from various stakeholders in co-generating viable policy options
Main Cooperation Partners
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, coordinator)
Internationales Institut für angewandte Systemanalyse (IIASA)
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN)
Radboud University Nijmegen (RU)
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (UBO)
The Cyprus Institute (CYI)
Unilever Innovation Centre Wageningen B.V.
Schweiz AG
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (PUCP)
Bonn.realis e.V. (BR, associated partner)
Main Funding Partners
European Commission
Duration of the Project
Dec. 2022 – Dec. 2025
Project Homepage
https://rainforest-horizon.eu/index.html
Team
Prof. Dr. Jan Börner
Dr. Jochen Dürr
Daniel Braun
Keywords
bioeconomy, sustainability, governance, biotechnology, South America
Countries
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay
Summary
The Southern Cone of South America is one of the most important world regions for the provision of bio-based feedstock worldwide with many countries in the region currently undergoing dynamic changes in various bioeconomic sectors. Despite the region’s enormous potential for sustainable bio-based transformation, promoting environmentally responsible and equitable bioeconomic change remains a major governance challenge. This project focuses on the emergence and sustainability performance of the bioeconomies from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay and aims to analyze bio-based initiatives from a political sciences and agricultural economics perspective.
The planned research seeks to inform governmental and non-governmental, including private, decision-makers in South America and beyond about entry points for action towards promoting climate smart bio-based innovation processes that safeguard rural employment and the equitable distribution of the benefits and costs of bio-based transformation. Through strong partnerships with Universities in the Southern Cone and engagement at the science-policy interface, the project will strengthen international collaboration and its impact in the study regions.
Methodology
(1) Impact evaluation analysis of national bioeconomy policies
(2) Value chain and value-web analysis
(3) Modeling of land use change and GHG emissions
(4) Comparative case studies
(5) Qualitative data analysis
Main Cooperation Partners
Universität Münster
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
Universidad Austral
Universidad ORT Uruguay
Main Funding Partners
BMEL
Publications
See homepage
Duration of the Project
2020 - 2026
Project Homepage
https://sabio-project.org
Team
Prof. Dr. Jan Börner
Prof. Dr. Thomas Dietz
Dr. Jochen Dürr
Dr. Karen Siegel
Carol Bardi
Maria Eugenia Silva Carrazzone
Daniela Gomel
Daniel Kefeli
Pablo Mac Clay
Serena Olivera
Laura Rojas
Guilherme Stein
Trevor Tisler