A Transdisciplinary Approach to Identifying Transboundary Tipping Points in a Contentious Area: Experiences from across the Jordan River Region

Juan Miguel Rodriguez Lopez, Katja Tielbörger, Cornelia Claus, Christiane Fröhlich, Marc Gramberger and Jürgen Scheffran
Additional contact information
Juan Miguel Rodriguez Lopez: Research Group Climate Change and Security (CLISEC), Institute of Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, 20144 Hamburg, Germany
Katja Tielbörger: Institute of Evolution and Ecology (EvE), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Cornelia Claus: Institute of Evolution and Ecology (EvE), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Christiane Fröhlich: GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
Marc Gramberger: Prospex (Limited Company), 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Jürgen Scheffran: Research Group Climate Change and Security (CLISEC), Institute of Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, 20144 Hamburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Transdisciplinary research is urgently needed but has rarely been applied in sustainability science. Here, we present a case study for a transdisciplinary approach to identify tipping points in the Jordan River region, an area of severe conflicts and environmental problems. The aim was to identify and prioritize different ecological and social tipping points within a framework of transdisciplinary assessment, using the Jordan River Region as a case study. The methodology included an iterative process in which a multidisciplinary group of scientists and regional stakeholders evaluated emerging tipping points involving professionally facilitated workshops, a correlation analysis, and an anonymous ranking based on specific criteria (practical relevance, scientific novelty, transboundary elements, and feasibility of intervention). During the process, the similarities and differences in the perceptions of the potential case studies by stakeholders from the three countries (Israel, Palestine and Jordan) involved were analyzed. The results found key elements of the term tipping point (abrupt, difficult to predict, irreversible regime shift, difficult management), and showed local and regional differences in evaluating potential case studies, where degradation or desertification of rangelands emerged as a final case study of common concern. The lessons learnt show the potential and challenges of transboundary cooperation, and the possibility of the co-creation of research with stakeholders to build knowledge about the diversity of tipping points. The study concludes that common ground related to the sustainable management of natural resources exists even in highly contentious areas, and among highly different cultural, political, and socio-economic conditions. The approach presented here may thus inform practitioners in prioritizing areas of transboundary sustainability research in other regions.

Keywords: tipping points; human-nature interactions; Jordan River; transdisciplinary research; science-stakeholder interaction; transboundary management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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