Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research

Through coordinated efforts, the Wyss Academy for Nature identifies and delineates potential opportunities for inter- and transdisciplinary projects. We build collaboration between researchers and innovators from various disciplines and—through the Wyss Academy Regional Hubs—with stakeholders and partners from the Global South. The aim is to identify and select the most promising areas and topics to achieve positive impact for people and nature. By placing strong emphasis on integrating different types of knowledge, including Indigenous expertise, and by focusing on real-world relevance and applicability, the Wyss Academy strives to deliver local results while maintaining a global focus.

Main achievements in 2023

1. Pathways cleared for scaling up agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon

In an interdisciplinary research project on agroecology, the project group established an extensive network of scientific and non-scientific partners in its focus region of Madre de Dios, Peru. At an initial workshop, they jointly identified value chain development as a key lever for scaling up agroforestry approaches in the region. On this basis, the Wyss Academy’s Hub South America started an experiment in collaboration with an innovative local farmer and entrepreneur. The aim is to increase the commercialization of fruit pulp that is produced in Tambopata Province under an agroforestry system. Furthermore, the project team initiated an analysis of the history and status of agroforestry in Madre de Dios, including the creation of a geospatial database of existing agroforestry systems. 

2. New partnerships for tech and data management

In 2023, the Wyss Academy invested in new strategic partnerships to strengthen the transformative nature of our inter- and transdisciplinary research. For instance, with EPFL’s EssentialTech Centre, we want to identify potential technological levers to mitigate peopl-nature conflicts in Kenya. During an inaugural co-creation workshop held in the Naibunga/Ol Donyiro region in October, colleagues from Switzerland and Kenya, together with pastoralists and other key local stakeholders, jointly facilitated the development of a common vision in support of conflict resolution and improved pasture governance. Furthermore, members of our interdisciplinary research project on payment for ecosystem services, together with representatives from communities and 21 conservation organizations, explored the potential of digital twin technology to enhance collaboration among local actors and enable impact monitoring.  

3.  Solutions for water and biodiversity restoration tested in Kenya

In June, the team of the Wyss Academy’s transdisciplinary project on water scarcity, which includes both researchers and members of our Hub East Africa, engaged with local university partners, NGOs, county governments and community representatives to identify challenges related to water scarcity and climate change. Together, they developed solutions for water restoration and biodiversity conservation in Kenya’s Ewaso Ng’iro North River basin. The semi-circular bunds dug in Laikipia County starting in February proved to retain surface water already during the first rainfall and seemed to have enhanced soil infiltration. A monitoring network installed in October started collecting scientific data on the role of the bunds in soil water restoration, serving the overall purpose of promoting wealthier people in healthier semi-arid landscapes and testing the potential of this restoration technique to be scaled up to the landscape level.

4. Potential for sustainable gold mining explored in Madre de Dios, Peru

Our research on mining strives to promote responsible practices across the gold value chain by merging scientific expertise with hands-on field experience and collaborating with local and global partners. The long-term vision is to strike a harmonious balance between human development and ecological preservation. In 2023, the transdisciplinary research team conducted literature reviews and several workshops to better understand potential to improve artisanal mining policies and promote mercury-free production. On that basis, further research will focus on the potential of transformed narratives around miners, alternative technologies to reduce deforestation, and engaging with stakeholders in the gold trade to encourage transparency and sustainability.

Satellite images from 2010 (left) and 2019 (right) show how the landscape has changed as a result of gold mining activities near the Madre de Dios River, in Peru 
Images: © eoVision/Digitalglobe/EUSI, 2022

5. Applying Indigenous governance schemes to ecosystem conservation

While innovative Indigenous and community-led governance schemes receive increasing attention at the global level, questions related to challenges on the ground and to their conservation potential remain to be investigated. The question about their potential to make tropical forest management more just and responsible was put to debate in a thematic session convened by our transdisciplinary project team at the Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons in Nairobi in June 2023.  The outcome has not only informed our continuing research in Madre de Dios, but also led to the appointment of the head of the Indigenous Governance project to co-lead a newly created task force on Indigenous and local knowledge in the context of UNEP’s flagship Global Environmental Outlook 7 report.