LANUSYNCON
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At the Science Policy Interface: LANd Use SYNergies and CONflicts within the framework of the 2030 Agenda (LANUSYNCON)

In LANUYSNCON, we try to answer urgent questions about the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. This requires the conceptual and practical involvement of different perspectives, actors and research fields. Using case study in sub-Sahara Africa, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania, we examine the complex trade-offs between different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The aim is to provide results that will help to understand and consider impacts of land use decisions beyond the respective policy sector in order to promote coherent land use policies.

Avatar Biber-Freudenberger

Jun.-Prof. Lisa Biber-Freudenberger

+49-228-73-1726

© ZEF

Keywords

Land use, conflicts, synergies, Agenda 2030, agriculture, land degradation, biodiversity loss, agriculture, gender, climate change, health, Science Policy Interface

Countries

Africa particularly East Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Sudan

Duration

1 July 2020 to 30 June 2025

    Methodology

    • Dynamic Bayesian network analysis
    • Decision modelling
    • Structured interviews
    • GIS analysis
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    Policy Briefs

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    Road Development and Conservation: Infrastructure Planning in Biodiversity Hotspots

    by Philipo J. Mtweve, Pierre Ibisch & Lisa Biber-Freudenberger, ZEF Policy Brief No. 60

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    Diversification opportunities in Agriculture

    by Hannah Kamau & Lisa Biber-Freudenberger, ZEF Policy Brief No. 61

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    Designing cost-effective incentives for Tanzania’s ecological corridors

    by Qambemeda M. Nyanghura, Jan Börner & Lisa Biber-Freudenberger, ZEF Policy Brief No. 62

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    Strengthening Science – Policy Interfaces for Coherent and Sustainable Land Use

    by Sara Velander, Lisa Biber-Freudenberger & Thomas Dietz, ZEF Policy Brief No. 63

    Publications

    • Velander, S. (2025). From silos to synergy: Mapping institutional collaboration across global environmental science–policy interfaces. Environmental Science & Policy, 170, 104126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104126
    • Biber-Freudenberger, L., Bogner, C., Bareth, G., Bollig, M., Dannenberg, P., Diez, J. R., Greiner, C., Mtweve, P. J., Klagge, B., Kramm, T., Müller-Mahn, D., Moseti, V., Nyamari, N., Ochuodho, D. O., Kuntashula, E., Theodory, T., Thorn, J. P. R., & Börner, J. (2025). Impacts of road development in sub-Saharan Africa: A call for holistic perspectives in research and policy. iScience, 28(2), 111913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.111913
    • Mtweve, P., Eustace, A., Nyanghura, Q., Moseti, V., Kramm, T., Ibisch, P., & Biber-Freudenberger, L. (2025). An Integrated Decision Support Framework for Sustainable Road Planning in Biodiversity Hotspots. Nature Portfolio. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7419361/v1 
    • Nyanghura, Q. M., Börner, J., & Biber-Freudenberger, L. (2024). Motivational drivers and the effectiveness of conservation incentives. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1493672 
    • Souza, P. O., Callo-Concha, D., Kamau, H., De Souza Fernandes, L. C., Zabini, C., & Biber-Freudenberger, L. (2024). Are stakeholders aware of the contributions of ecosystem services for their Well-Being? A case study of a UNESCO geopark project in Brazil. Human Ecology, 52(6), 1203–1216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-024-00558-6 
    • Kamau, H., Roman, S., & Biber-Freudenberger, L. (2023). Nearly half of the world is suitable for diversified farming for sustainable intensification. Communications Earth & Environment, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01062-3 
    • Wagner, N., Velander, S., Biber-Freudenberger, L., & Dietz, T. (2022). Effectiveness factors and impacts on policymaking of science-policy interfaces in the environmental sustainability context. Environmental Science & Policy, 140, 56–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.11.008 
    • Velander, S., Martinelli, F. S., Sari, D. I., Ali, F., & Biber-Freudenberger, L. (2021). A dichotomy of domestic and academic pathways: challenges of motherhood in an international doctoral program on land science. Journal of Land Use Science, 17(1), 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/1747423x.2021.2015002

    Team

    • Jun.-Prof. Lisa Biber-Freudenberger
    • Hannah Nyakio Kamau
    • Philipo Jacob
    • Qambemeda Masala Nyanghura
    • Sara Velander
    • Fatima Salaheldin Ali
    • Nady Mahmoud