AAM020F

Active

Nature-based Solutions at the Climate-Biodiversity-Health Nexus: Social and Natural Science Perspectives

3

Third-cycle course

7500 (Architecture and Built Environment)

2024-02-21

Gudbjörg Erlingsdóttir

English

If sufficient demand

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and diverse health crises are pressing issues of the Anthropocene. They are fundamentally interlinked through shared drivers, mechanistic links and feedback, and pose significant challenges and risks for human societies, health, and well-being. Nature-based solutions have emerged as an umbrella concept to describe actions taken to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use, and manage natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges such as climate mitigation and adaptation, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience, and biodiversity benefits. The understanding of nature-based solutions must go hand in hand with a thorough analysis of human perception, cognition, emotion, and behavior.

This course incorporates social and natural science perspectives on nature-based solutions (e.g., environmental psychology, ecology, physical geography, epidemiology, human rights and governance). It thereby aims at broadening disciplinary boundaries and provides a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to the climate-biodiversity-health nexus and proposed solutions within it (i.e., nature-based solutions). It aims at evaluating these solutions critically and fostering an understanding of challenges, trade-offs, and synergies when trying to solve complex global issues.

The course lasts one week and includes two parts: a first theoretical part including introductory lectures and a second applied part including an excursion, group work and discussions. The following will be covered:
- Introduction to the climate-biodiversity-health nexus and different disciplinary perspectives
- Introduction to nature-based solutions, their limitations, opportunities, and risks
- Current research on the climate-biodiversity-health nexus and nature-based solutions in social and natural sciences
- Practical examples of two nature-based solutions in Skåne

Reading material will be sent out three weeks before the group meets, and the course participants prepare by reading the assigned literature.

Exemplify, describe, and define “nature-based solutions”.
Describe the climate-biodiversity-health nexus and relate different global challenges to each other (i.e., mental and physical health crises, climate change, biodiversity change).
Demonstrate an understanding of global challenges from different disciplinary perspectives.
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between their own doctoral work, nature-based solutions, and research from other related disciplines.

Reflect on their own role and disciplinary understanding.
Relate theoretical knowledge to practical examples in the field.
Be able to present and discuss (own) ideas in an interdisciplinary context.

Critically discuss the challenges and potential trade-offs and synergies for mental and physical health, climate, and biodiversity crises.
Propose their own nature-based solution and critically discuss it.
Critically discuss the limitations, opportunities, and risks of nature-based solutions and their potential impact.
Demonstrate an understanding of the possibilities and limits of nature-based solutions.
Evaluate an existing nature-based solution and assess its usefulness.

Lectures

Seminars

Exercises

Project

Study visit

Teaching consists of lectures, group discussions and exercises, an excursion, and self-directed learning. It is compulsory to participate in lectures, group discussions and exercises, excursions, and associated elements. Lecturers with different disciplinary backgrounds will present. There will also be a group projects in which students are expected to work in interdisciplinary groups.

Written report

Miscellaneous

At the end of the week, students will present an existing nature-based solution in groups and critically discuss it with the whole group. After the course, the students will write an individual paper designing their own nature-based solution and critically discussing its implementation, usefulness, and impact. Active participation in all the course activities, presentation of the group project, and a written individual paper is expected to pass the course.

Failed, pass

enrolled in a PhD programme

M.Sc./Masters Degree

The course is open to PhD students. Priority will be given to PhD students enrolled in the ClimBEco and Agenda 2030 Graduate Research Schools and to PhD students in (environmental) psychology. Other PhD students will be conditional on places being available.

 

Seddon, N. (2022). Harnessing the potential of nature-based solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn9668

Nesshöver, C., Assmuth, T., Irvine, K. N., Rusch, G. M., Waylen, K. A., Delbaere, B., Haase, D., Jones-Walters, L., Keune, H., Kovacs, E., Krauze, K., Külvik, M., Rey, F., van Dijk, J., Vistad, O. I., Wilkinson, M. E., & Wittmer, H. (2017). The science, policy and practice of nature-based solutions: An interdisciplinary perspective. Science of the Total Environment, 579, 1215–1227 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.106

Other scientific literature amounting to approximately 250 pages.

The course is given if at least five PhD-students register.

AAM020F

2024-02-21

Gudbjörg Erlingsdóttir