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 School of Geography and the Environment

Transforming Governance and Adaptation to Sustainable Futures

Governance transformations in coupled social-ecological systems: This research falls under the umbrella of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Where, as co-leader on adaptive governance (with Per Olsson), the research takes forward theoretical understandings of the concept "adaptive governance", transformations and the practical implications for the governance of ecosystem management. Several projects are ongoing jointly with the Resilience Centre Stockholm:

  • Co-editing book with Prof. Carl Folke for Cambridge University Press (to be published in 2008)
  • Co-editing a beginners guide to adaptation (Boyd and Tompkins to be published in 2008)

Research Projects

"Governance of scalar challenges in Unesco Man and Biosphere Reserves" (Boyd, von Heland, Barthel, Folke)

The research aims to take forward theoretical understandings of agency and legitimacy in scalar transformations of ecosystem governance. We will analyse the process of establishing and including actors in the creation and upholding of biosphere reserves based on two criteria a) functional- how well the actors identified correspond to the actual actors that have been shaping managing the ecosystems and if and how captured experience are used and b) legitimacy- how well the decision-making process includes and excludes actors with an interest and desire to participate in deciding about the future uses of the ecosystems.

"Exploring Resilience, development agendas and livelihood transformations"

This research is concerned with a) building conceptual thinking around resilience theory for development b) examining the limitations and practical implications of applying resilience to development. In particular the research will examine the role of power & agency in transformations to resilient futures.

"Cultural interpretations of 2007 floods in UK and India" (Boyd and Boykoff)

This research (funded by James Martin) looks at case-study events of the 2007 floods in the UK and India, and their connections to climate adaptation strategies. Through stakeholder interviews as well as cross-national analyses of mass media discourse, we explore how expert-led scientific forecasts for climate change-related extreme events relate to cultural interpretations of climate risk, and adaptation.

Publications

Peer reviewed and papers in progress

  • Boyd, E. (in review). Navigating Amazonia under uncertainty: learning from past and present forms of environmental governance. Phil Trans.
  • Lemos, MC, Tompkins, E., Boyd, E (in review) Politics, people and institutions: the foundations of a climate change response. Global Environmental Change.
  • Doria, M., Boyd, E., Tompkins, E.L., Adger, W.N., (submitted). Using Expert Elicitation to Understand Successful Adaptation to Climate Change. Risk, Decision and Policy.
  • Boyd, E. Osbahr, H., Erickssen, P., Tompkins, E., Lemos, MC., (submitted). Managing Transformation for Resilient Futures. Science
  • Lemos, M., E. Boyd, E. L. Tompkins, H. Osbahr and D. Liverman 2007. Developing Adaptation and Adapting Development. Ecology and Society 12 (2): 26.
  • Biggs, R., C. Raudsepp-Hearne, C. Atkinson-Palombo, E. Bohensky, E. Boyd, G. Cundill, H. Fox, S. Ingram, K. Kok, S. Spehar, M. Tengö, D. Timmer, and M. Zurek. 2007. Linking futures across scales: a dialog on multi-scale scenarios. Ecology and Society 12(1): 17.

Conference papers

  • Schipper, E.L., Boyd, E., Kohler, P.M., 2006. Adaptation to Climate Change and Ecosystem Management: Exploring Synergies. Paper presented at Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Conference, 6-9 December 2006, Bali, Indonesia.
  • Boyd, E., Tompkins, E.L., Nicholson-Cole, S., 2005. Conflicts and tradeoffs among UK adaptation stakeholders. Presented at the 6th Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community “Global Environmental Change, Globalization and International Security: New Challenges for the 21st Century”, University of Bonn, Germany, 9-13 October 2005.

Reports