There is emerging agreement that sustainability challenges require new ways of knowledge production and decision-making. One key aspect of sustainability science, therefore, is the involvement of actors from outside academia into the research process in order to integrate the best available knowledge, reconcile values and preferences, as well as create ownership for problems and solution options. Transdisciplinary, community-based, interactive, or participatory research approaches are often suggested as appropriate means to meet both the requirements posed by real-world problems as well as the goals of sustainability science as a transformational scientific field. Dispersed literature on these approaches and a variety of empirical projects applying them make it difficult for interested researchers and practitioners to review and become familiar with key components and design principles of how to do transdisciplinary sustainability research. Starting from a conceptual model of an ideal–typical transdisciplinary research process, this article synthesizes and structures such a set of principles from various strands of the literature and empirical experiences. We then elaborate on them, looking at challenges and some coping strategies as experienced in transdisciplinary sustainability projects in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. The article concludes with future research needed in order to further enhance the practice of transdisciplinary sustainability research.

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Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science: practice, principles, and challenges

Robust monitoring of small-scale forest disturbances in a tropical montane forest using Landsat time series

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.

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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

Effects of wild coffee management on species diversity in the Afromontane rainforests of Ethiopia

Performance of vegetation indices from Landsat time series in deforestation monitoring

Coffea arabica occurs naturally in the montane rainforests of Ethiopia, but large areas of these unique forests have been converted to other land-uses. In the remaining forest, wild coffee is managed and harvested with increasing intensity because of rising coffee prices in the world market. This study evaluated the impact of coffee management on wild coffee populations and the forest vegetation as a basis for conservation planning in southwestern Ethiopia. Vegetation surveys and yield assessments were carried out in unmanaged natural forest and in managed semi-forest coffee (SFC) systems. Analyses show that wild coffee density and coffee yields were low in natural forest (max. 15 kg ha )1 year )1 ). In SFC systems, 30% of the canopy trees and most undergrowth vegetation were removed. This stimulated wild coffee growth and strongly enhanced yields (max. 54 kg ha )1 year )1 ), but severely disturbed forest structure. Species richness increased by 26% because of an increase in species of ruderal and secondary vegetation; however, species richness and abundance of typical forest species declined. Conservation of the natural forest therefore requires the control of wild coffee management. Wild coffee certification is discussed as one tool to reconcile conservation measures and the interests of local farmers.

Wild coffee management and plant diversity in the montane rainforest of southwestern Ethiopia.

The diversity and distribution of lianas were studied in five Afromontane rain forests of Ethiopia. Quadrats of 20 × 20 m were laid down along transects in the Bonga, Berhane-Kontir, Harenna, Yayu and Maji forests. In all forests, 30,917 liana individuals belonging to 123 species in 87 genera and 40 plant families were recorded. The most species-rich families were Asclepiadaceae (14), Fabaceae (9), Annonaceae (7) and Cucurbitaceae (7). The top 10 dominant families represented 56% of the total number of species. Over 400 other plant species representing different life forms were recorded growing together with lianas. The lianas accounted for over 30% of the total woody plant diversity and over 20% of the total floral diversity in the study areas. The analysis of floristic composition of the forests indicates that the Berhane-Kontir Forest had the highest Fisher's diversity index α, and Yayu the lowest. Generally, there were low similarities between the forests in terms of species composition. Although lianas were abundant in almost all forests, there was a considerable variation among the forests in terms of density and spatial distribution. The major dispersal modes of lianas were anemochory (30%), mammaliochory (30%), ornithochory and autochory, and the four mechanisms of climbing of lianas were twining (54%), hooking (24%), rooting and use of tendrils. Altitude and human disturbance were found to be important factors affecting liana distribution. The need for sustainable management and use of lianas in the Afromontane rain forests is emphasized.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00180.x

The diversity and distribution of lianas in the Afromontane rain forests of Ethiopia

A Coffea ar it is a natural component of the undergrowth. These rainforests, however, are highly fragmented and decreasing at a rapid rate through conversion into settlements and agricultural land. The remaining forests with wild coffee are used for traditional coffee production. This study assesses how much wild coffee can actually be harvested from the forest and evaluates the influence of wild coffee management on the floristic diversity and structure of the forest. Vegetation surveys were conducted in four forest fragments in the vicinity of Bonga (SW Ethiopia). In 85 study plots, all plant species were identified and height and diameter at breast height (dbh) measured if height > 0.5 m or dbh > 2 cm. The ripe fruits per coffee tree were counted, and the coverage of the forest vegetation as well as other environmental parameters was recorded. The data were analyzed statistically with multivariate methods. Coffee forest management was found to increase the wild coffee yields, but high management intensity led to a disturbance of the forest structure and to a change in the species composition of the natural forest. Sustainable management concepts are crucial to harmonize economic interests and forest conservation efforts.

Helmut Preisinger

Papers

Wild coffee management and plant diversity in the montane rainforest of southwestern Ethiopia.

The diversity and distribution of lianas in the Afromontane rain forests of Ethiopia

Sustainable management of the montane rainforests with wild coffee (Coffea