Governance strategy for sustainable land management and water reuse in two German cases

What is it about?

Scientists and experts often recommend applying governance approaches to solve complex sustainability problems of land management. However, governance for sustainable land management is a difficult task. The paper identifies four major governance challenges: (i) fragmented knowledge and expertise, (ii) heterogeneous actors, (iii) institutional diversity, and (iv) inadequate processes for coordination, adaptation and learning. Taking these challenges for conceptual orientation, the paper analyses how a transdisciplinary research project designed a governance strategy for for treated wastewater uses. The paper reflects upon the interaction with practitioners and the project's experiences to arrive at practicable governance solutions. Our conclusions are intended to provide insights regarding challenges facing transdisciplinary research, acting on the science–policy–practice interface for dealing with such complex land and water management problems, and the coproduction of accepted governance solutions.

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Why is it important?

The paper sheds light on the complex interaction between field experts and scientists striving for solutions for sustainable land management. It reflects strengths, shortfalls and errors while designing a governance strategy.