ABSTRACT
Participatory approaches – ranging from simple forms of stakeholder involvement in specific events to long-established rural networks – are increasingly favoured in landscape planning and management. To explore the possibilities and limitations of local civil society engagement for landscape conservation and development in the face of globalised forces, a scenario development process was initiated in the Biosphere Reserve Swabian Alb in southwest Germany. The overarching goal of this participatory scenario development exercise was to integrate scientific and practical perspectives on landscapes, their values and appropriate management strategies. In this chapter, we focus on the participatory process and its challenges and potential benefits for transdisciplinary research. We found benefits in terms of knowledge integration and capacity building. Key challenges related to (1) the integration of local perspectives into the results of scientific research and (2) meeting local actors’ expectations of immediate benefits from the process. We conclude that for successful implementation of participatory approaches in sustainability research, the rationale for participation has to be carefully articulated, the purpose of the participatory elements needs to be specified, and benefits and resources expended have to be well balanced. Moreover, the scientific system needs a stronger orientation towards embracing transdisciplinarity.
