Papers by Sybille van den Hove
The PATH project aims at taking a critical look at advances in participation in policy deliberati... more The PATH project aims at taking a critical look at advances in participation in policy deliberation with an emphasis on issues of scale and representation. This is an extended summary of a draft paper which was presented during the PATH
We explore the theory and practice of participation in EU biodiversity governance, focusing on th... more We explore the theory and practice of participation in EU biodiversity governance, focusing on the implementation of the Birds and Habitat directives and Natura 2000 at the EU and member- state levels in the cases of France and Germany.We identify three shifts in EU biodiversity governance which potentially lead to intensifying participatory processes, but which may also be induced by more participation: (i) a shift from a top-down state-centred administrative understanding of policy making towards more flexible and bottom-up approaches; (ii) a shift towards more democratic, 'postnormal', types of science; and (iii) a shift from a conservation focus towards a more anthropocentric ecosystems goods-and-services approach framed in a normative context of sustainability.We look at whether these shifts happen in practice and also look at the link with participation. At all political levels a big gap remains between the rhetoric on participation and the real-life implementation of ...
GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 2013
Against the background of a continuing biodiversity loss there is a strong need to improve the in... more Against the background of a continuing biodiversity loss there is a strong need to improve the interfaces between science and policy. Many approaches for such interfaces exist, the most recent being the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). A less prominent approach to interface science with policy consists of research projects directly linking with decision makers. Here we present insights and recommendations on how to do this successfully, highlighting among others the role of facilitating mutual learning and enhancing interface expertise in institutions.
Biological Sampling in the Deep Sea, 2016
Maritime Studies, 2015
This paper explores management challenges in relation to human impacts on cold water corals (CWC)... more This paper explores management challenges in relation to human impacts on cold water corals (CWC) in Norway. CWC are a slow growing organism about which there is uncertainty regarding distribution and values. We discuss area closures to protect this environmental public good against destructive fishing practices. Focus groups were combined with questionnaires to inform precautionary management measures that can be used to protect known CWC as well as areas where CWC are thought to exist. The research finds that respondents believe CWC are valuable and should be protected, but that this requires information on their presence and importance. Furthermore, priorities for protecting CWC differed between group discussions and the questionnaire responses. Use-values, particularly habitat supporting fish production, dominated the focus group discussions, while non-use and intrinsic values were emphasised in the questionnaire responses. Respondents rejected the use of the precautionary measu...
ABSTRACT Report on the Workshop held at Brussels on the 27 February 1998 for the European Commiss... more ABSTRACT Report on the Workshop held at Brussels on the 27 February 1998 for the European Commission (Research Support for Kyoto and Beyond. Policy/Research Interface Workshop Series, EC DG-XII. Later published by the EC.
Science and Public Policy, 2013
The NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the... more The NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner.
Oceanography, 2009
This issue of Oceanography mainly describes results from the HERMES project, which comes to a clo... more This issue of Oceanography mainly describes results from the HERMES project, which comes to a close in spring 2009. Building on the success of HERMES, the European Commission has funded a new project that will begin as HERMES ends. This project, entitled HERMIONE (Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact on European Seas), will have a greater focus on human impacts in the deep-sea environment and will place more emphasis on the translation of information into policy. It will have a wider public outreach program and will include new areas of research, such as seamounts and hydrothermal vents. The HERMIONE project will address issues raised in the EC foresight document, The Deep-Sea Frontier: Science Challenges for a Sustainable Future (Cochonat et al., 2007), and will focus on four key objectives. These follow a logical progression, from investigating the physical dimensions of ecosystems, to understanding how they function and interconnect, to studying how they are impacted by human activity, to ensuring that this project can contribute to their sustainable management and protection. The HERMIONE consortium comprises 38 partners, including four small businesses, from 13 countries across Europe.
Land Use Policy, 2006
In this paper, we argue that participatory approaches should acknowledge both the irreducible plu... more In this paper, we argue that participatory approaches should acknowledge both the irreducible plurality of standpoints and the necessity of common existence in order to be a valuable answer to decision making challenges created by the ecological and societal complexity of environmental issues. We propose that participatory approaches be thought on a continuum between consensus-oriented processes in the pursuit of a common interest and compromise-oriented negotiation processes aiming at the adjustment of particular interests. This allows to pinpoint the pitfalls of idealistic conceptions of participatory approaches where the negotiation dimension tends to be denied and occulted. In particular, we argue that ignoring the negotiation dimension of participatory approaches can impede their legitimacy and effectiveness as learning processes to resolve complex environmental issues beyond the interest of the more powerful actor. As an illustration, we look at the relation between multicriteria decision aid and participatory processes. We stress the need to explicitly identify areas of consensus and areas of compromise when applying MCDA.
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2001
We outline the potential participative governance and risk management in application to technolog... more We outline the potential participative governance and risk management in application to technological choices in the nuclear sector within the European Union (EU). Well-conducted public participation, stakeholder consultation and deliberation procedures can enhance the policy process and improve the robustness of strategies dealing with high-stakes investment and risk management challenges. Key nuclear issues now confronting EU member states are: public concern with large-scale environmental and health issues; the Chernobyl accident (and others less catastrophic) whose effect has been to erode public confidence and trust in the nuclear sector; the maturity of the nuclear plant, hence the emerging prominence of waste transportation, reprocessing and disposal issues as part of historical liability within the EU; the nuclear energy heritage of central and eastern European candidate countries to EU accession. The obligatory management of inherited technological risks and uncertainties on large temporal and geographical scales, is a novel feature of technology assessment and governance. Progress in the nuclear sector will aid the development of methodologies for technological foresight and risk governance in fields other than the nuclear alone.
Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 2009
We explore the theory and practice of participation in EU biodiversity governance, focusing on th... more We explore the theory and practice of participation in EU biodiversity governance, focusing on the implementation of the Birds and Habitat directives and Natura 2000 at the EU and member-state levels in the cases of France and Germany. We identify three shifts in EU biodiversity governance which potentially lead to intensifying participatory processes, but which may also be induced by more participation: (i) a shift from a top-down state-centred administrative understanding of policy making towards more flexible and bottom-up approaches; (ii) a shift towards more democratic, ‘postnormal’, types of science; and (iii) a shift from a conservation focus towards a more anthropocentric ecosystems goods-and-services approach framed in a normative context of sustainability. We look at whether these shifts happen in practice and also look at the link with participation. At all political levels a big gap remains between the rhetoric on participation and the real-life implementation of partici...
Energy Policy, 2012
Many international policies encourage a switch from fossil fuels to bioenergy based on the premis... more Many international policies encourage a switch from fossil fuels to bioenergy based on the premise that its use would not result in carbon accumulation in the atmosphere. Frequently cited bioenergy goals would at least double the present global human use of plant material, the production of which already requires the dedication of roughly 75% of vegetated lands and more than 70% of water withdrawals. However, burning biomass for energy provision increases the amount of carbon in the air just like burning coal, oil or gas if harvesting the biomass decreases the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils, or reduces carbon sequestration. Neglecting this fact results in an accounting error that could be corrected by considering that only the use of 'additional biomass'-biomass from additional plant growth or biomass that would decompose rapidly if not used for bioenergy-can reduce carbon emissions. Failure to correct this accounting flaw will likely have substantial adverse consequences. The article presents recommendations for correcting greenhouse gas accounts related to bioenergy. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. different forms of bioenergy and are likely to have serious adverse environmental consequences if not remedied (van Renssen, 2011). This viewpoint article discusses the scientific background of an Opinion on bioenergy published in September 2011 by the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency (EEA). 1 In this article, 'bioenergy' refers to any energy produced by combusting Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
BioScience, 2009
Research on ecosystem services has grown rapidly over the last decade. Two conceptual frameworks ... more Research on ecosystem services has grown rapidly over the last decade. Two conceptual frameworks have been published to guide ecological assessments of organisms that deliver services-the concepts of service-providing units (SPUs) and ecosystem service providers (ESPs). Here, we unite these frameworks and present an SPU-ESP continuum that offers a coherent conceptual approach for synthesizing the latest developments in ecosystem service research, and can direct future studies at all levels of organization. In particular, we show how the service-provider concept can be applied at the population, functional group, and community levels. We strongly emphasize the need to identify and quantify the organisms and their characteristics (e.g., functional traits) that provide services, and to assess service provision relative to the demands of human beneficiaries. We use key examples from the literature to illustrate the new approach and to highlight gaps in knowledge, particularly in relation to the impact of species interactions and ecosystem dynamics on service provision.
UNEP WCMC UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL. Unite... more UNEP WCMC UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL. United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: infoOunep-wcmcorg Website: www.unep-wcmc.org ©UNEP-WCMC/UNEP December ...
International Journal of Environment and Pollution
The implementation of efficient environmental and waste management policies requires a better und... more The implementation of efficient environmental and waste management policies requires a better understanding of how these issues are integrated into social dynamics. In particular, we need to improve our knowledge of social perceptions about these problems. To do this, one can use a methodology based on lexicographical tools. It allows the reconstruction of actors' representations from in-depth interviews. This study aims to demonstrate the benefits and limitations of such a method. It looks at the perceptions of environment and waste issues of French industrial actors. A common representation has been extracted on the basis of the categories most present in the discourses. It has then been completed and refined by a deeper examination of relationships between actors, of values underlying the representation, and of its dynamic aspects. The method presented here would be particularly appropriate for comparative analysis between different groups of actors or different cultures.
Environmental Science & Policy, 2011
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Papers by Sybille van den Hove