Introduction
Inequity is one of the pivotal social challenges of our epoch, with far-reaching ramifications for human well-being. It often results from unfair procedural and distributive justice systems and infiltrates many domains of social life, including income distribution, gender, education and the risks of environmental hazards or unequal access to natural capital and ecosystem services among and within countries and socio-economic groups. Inequity is also a multidimensional concept of ethical concern, used synonymously with fairness and justice. Because of the multiplicity of approaches and dimensions, clear methodologies of how to explore and assess levels of inequity are not fully developed yet. The outputs of this WG are expected to contribute significant advances into policy and management.
Objectives
This Thematic Working Group will aim to:
- Explore the linkages between ecosystem services and equity outcomes in its four dimensions (distributive, procedural, contextual and recognition).
- Establishing clear methodologies for the research on Equity, including the distribution of ecosystem services among different groups of stakeholders and on how inequity might hinder the access to those ecosystem services.
- Bridge the gaps between different disciplinary backgrounds, as well as learn from different contexts (e.g. urban and rural studies).
- Reflect on the justice implications of doing ecosystem service research (e.g. how different methodological choices might produce (in)equal ecosystem service outcomes or hide existing inequities).
Lead team
- Felipe Benra, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department of Ecosystem Services; Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Faculty of Biological Sciences; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
- María Felipe-Lucia, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department of Ecosystem Services; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
- Johannes Langemeyer, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP); Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM)
- Brenda Maria Zoderer, Institute of Landscape Development, Conservation and Recreation Planning, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
- Miriam Montero Hidalgo, Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), Chemical and Environmental Technology Department and School of Experimental Science and Technology
Activities planned
- 2-days workshop to present our work and get to know each other, discuss what we want to achieve as a group, outline paper ideas and other outputs. Click here to register for the workshop.
- Collaborative paper publication (literature review or conceptual paper)
- Create a tool for finding project partners (e.g. key words of expertise and interest of the members of the WG).
- Organize a session at the next ESP conference and discuss the organization of other conferences
- Organize trainings about dissemination / outreach / participatory methods