A transdisciplinary framework to bridge science–policy–development gaps in global sustainable land management initiatives

Abstract

Effective implementation of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) remains a major challenge worldwide because of its weak integration within the domains of science, policy, and development practice. Based on global analyses of soil erosion risk and the degree of implementation of SLM research, policies, and practices at the country level, we propose a transdisciplinary framework to address soil erosion through SLM. In the analysis, we used indices of the policy–development, science–policy, and science–development interfaces to evaluate the overall science–policy–development interface (SPDI) in 236 countries. Over 190 countries (81%) were found to be currently facing moderate or high risk of increased soil erosion from two or more erosion processes, and 182 countries (77%) were found to have a SPDI level that was lower than their soil erosion risk implying the urgent need for a transdisciplinary framework that supports the implementation of future soil erosion research and development projects. Our proposed transdisciplinary framework comprises seven stages, starting from “shared research framing” and ending with “ex-post evaluation”. The framework’s practical application is discussed in the context of a recent project, emphasizing the need for country-specific studies to develop tailored frameworks.