Developing a Toolkit for Mapping and Deliberating Values for Uplands Management (MADEVU)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Geosciences
Abstract
Research Translation Fellowship
Many landscape decisions in contemporary upland UK become contested and some develop into conflicts, particularly when conservation stakeholders are present. There is a need for tools that can help stakeholders to develop mutual understanding and deliberate key contentious issues. This Fellowship builds on the strengths of the Group and Organisation Future of Conservation Survey (GO-FOX) to adapt it for the management of the UK uplands. The Fellowship will combine the GO-FOX tool with the latest thinking in land use conflicts research to develop the versatile MApping and DEliberating Values for Uplands management (MADEVU) toolkit. This can be used with land use stakeholders to stimulate new understanding and ways of working with the potential to resolve upland conflicts.
Many landscape decisions in contemporary upland UK become contested and some develop into conflicts, particularly when conservation stakeholders are present. There is a need for tools that can help stakeholders to develop mutual understanding and deliberate key contentious issues. This Fellowship builds on the strengths of the Group and Organisation Future of Conservation Survey (GO-FOX) to adapt it for the management of the UK uplands. The Fellowship will combine the GO-FOX tool with the latest thinking in land use conflicts research to develop the versatile MApping and DEliberating Values for Uplands management (MADEVU) toolkit. This can be used with land use stakeholders to stimulate new understanding and ways of working with the potential to resolve upland conflicts.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Janet Fisher (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Meyfroidt P
(2022)
Ten facts about land systems for sustainability
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
| Description | Restoration partnerships are complex and can be contentious. There is a need for tools that can help diverse restoration partnership stakeholders to develop mutual understanding and deliberate key issues. Our project has built on our previous research to build a restoration partnership development (RPD) toolkit. We have worked very closely with three restoration initiatives - Cumbria Connect, Affric Highlands and Wilder Marches, to pilot these tools and learn from their use, and that learning is encompassed within out toolkit output. The RPD toolkit comprises two main elements: a statement-based survey (set up and run through three 'R Shiny' apps) for perspective elicitation, and a deliberative workshop format (or which we have developed extensive guidance) for users to use the App outputs for perspective deliberation amongst stakeholders. We have made the statement-based survey building app very adaptable so that it can be used in different contexts, and users can draw from more than 100 statements available, relating to common themes in UK restoration. Our main outputs are: 1) Three apps through which restoration implementers can set up a survey for their stakeholders, and analyse results in terms of mean agreement and degree of consensus/dissension; 2) A user manual for the whole process from app use, through to the establishment and conduct of deliberative workshops; 3) training videos in app usage to directly support their use; 4) a short (2.5 mins) promotional video for the whole toolkit. |
| Exploitation Route | As above - the toolkit is for research and restoration practitioner usage. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Communities and Social Services/Policy Environment Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | The RPD project has developed a toolkit comprising two main elements: a statement-based survey for perspective elicitation, and a deliberative workshop format for perspective deliberation. We have made the statement-based survey adaptable so that it can be used in different contexts, and users can draw from more than 100 statements available, relating to common themes in UK restoration. We theorised that this combined survey-with-workshop approach would be impactful because: ? The survey adaptability means the data generated will be relevant to stakeholders, making subsequent deliberative workshop discussions as useful and interesting as possible, and increasing likelihood of engagement in workshops ? The survey data could act as a 'third object' for facilitating (potentially) difficult conversations, by allowing workshop participants to talk through survey results, rather than compelling them to voice and 'own' their personal perspectives publicly ? Workshop discussion prompts on survey data would encourage workshop participants to consider the perspectives of others, and reflect critically on their own, thereby enhancing mutual understanding across stakeholder groups who may disagree about how land should be managed Our work was starting from the contention that disagreement between stakeholders was not necessarily a bad thing per se, rather, making perspectives explicit, and discussing them in a non-judgemental and respectful environment, would allow stakeholders to identity (perhaps surprising) areas of consensus, and to better understand each other in areas where perspectives differ. Feedback from workshop participants was encouraging in this regard. In feedback forms, participants referred to: ? "opportunity to unpack controversial issues" ? "get under the skinabout what [others'] concerns, issues, worries are" ? "opportunity to get my views out there" ? "helps to understand the way we obviously see things completely differently at times" ? "allowing me to appreciate where [others] are coming from" ? "non-confrontational" We are confident that the approach we developed and tested/ in eastern Cumbria has set a tone for openness and curiosity between the stakeholders who participated in our research (particularly those who attended deliberative workshops - see feedback above), thereby making the Cumbria Connect restoration project more likely to a) set appropriate objectives particularly in relation to land managers such as farmers and b) to achieve those objectives. Overall, we (along with Cumbria Connect project staff), think this will make the Cumbria Connect project fairer and more effective, and the connections made between different stakeholders - if maintained - will make this project more resilient as it progresses. The approach we have developed is now ready for others to apply to their own restoration projects through use of the RPD toolkit. In this way we hope that the impact of our work will be significant at least in the UK, and possibly further afield (although applications elsewhere are likely to require more funding to develop the versatility of the tool even more). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Restoration Partnership Development Toolkit being used by around 10 users in government and NGOs |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Those involved in our deliberative fora were observed to have modified their perspective on ecological restoration and understood better other points of view. |
| URL | https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/jfisher2/restoration-partnership-development-toolkit/ |
| Title | Improvements to research infrastructure - Great Big Nature Survey (2023) |
| Description | Great Big Nature Survey: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/great-big-nature-survey Survey characterising lay perspectives on conservation and nature. Element attributed to this award is further refinement of the 'conservation and the economy' module of the survey. Note - other funding contributed to this outcome as well. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | 20000 respondents UK wide. Changing practice of the Wildlife Trusts as a result. |
| URL | https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/great-big-nature-survey |
| Title | Restoration Partnership Development Toolkit |
| Description | Restoration partnerships are complex and can be contentious. There is a need for tools that can help diverse restoration partnership stakeholders to develop mutual understanding and deliberate key issues. Our project has built on our previous research to build a restoration partnership development (RPD) toolkit. We have worked very closely with two restoration initiatives - Cumbria Connect and Wilder Marches, to pilot these tools and learn from their use, and that learning is encompassed within out toolkit output. The RPD toolkit comprises two main elements: a statement-based survey (set up and run through three 'R Shiny' apps) for perspective elicitation, and a deliberative workshop format (or which we have developed extensive guidance) for users to use the App outputs for perspective deliberation amongst stakeholders. We have made the statement-based survey building app very adaptable so that it can be used in different contexts, and users can draw from more than 100 statements available, relating to common themes in UK restoration. Our main outputs are: 1) Three apps through which restoration implementers can set up a survey for their stakeholders, and analyse results in terms of mean agreement and degree of consensus/dissension; 2) A user manual for the whole process from app use, through to the establishment and conduct of deliberative workshops; 3) training videos in app usage to directly support their use; 4) a short (2.5 mins) promotional video for the whole toolkit. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Anticipated use by multiple restoration initiatives |
| URL | https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/jfisher2/restoration-partnership-development-toolkit/ |
| Description | 3 Stakeholder workshops considering issues associated with ecological restoration in Affric-Kintail landscape of Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Convened a mini-series of three workshops to deliberate issues associated with ecological restoration in the Affric-Kintail landscape in highlands of Scotland. This spurred new interests and debates around natural capital and local communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Deliberative landscape planning workshop, Eastern Cumbria |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We convened deliberative workshops for stakeholder of land use change in Eastern Cumbria, using tools that are an output of this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Interactive workshops with staff from NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) on values mapping within organisation using the Future of Conservation survey tool |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | NatureScot are currently in the process of updating their corporate plan. As part of wider discussions within their organisation, they used the Future of Conservation survey tool (https://www.futureconservation.org/) to map out the perspectives of their staff. As one of the originators of this tool, Fisher ran a series of 6 workshops (online format because of the pandemic) to explore staff perspectives and illuminate key differences in perspective. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Podcast on ecosystem services |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Made a podcast as part of the 'landscapes' podcast with Adam Calo. Discussing the Dasgupta review and ecosystem services and market environmentalism. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://landscapes.libsyn.com/ |