Managing our land for the best environmental and societal outcomes involves the successful integration of economics, governance, society and culture.

Scion’s Economics, Governance, Society and Culture team focuses on predicting environmental, social and economic outcomes at local, regional and national scale. The team integrates:

Environmental economics

Environmental economics concentrates on the financial impact of environmental policies. This incorporates accounting for ecosystem costs and benefits that do not have a market value and are not included in current market models.

Read about:

• Scion’s work valuing the forest ecosystem.
• The Forest investment Framework developed by Scion that combines the costs and benefits of forestry with the values of ecosystem services to describe the broader benefits of forests.
• Looking at the risk and uncertainty of different native forest options.
• How erosion can be combatted with strategic tree planting.
• The value New Zealanders place on being able to see native birds in planted forests.

Social sciences

Social sciences examine the relationships among individuals and within a society.

Read about:

• Building engagement and social licence in the fight against myrtle rust [pdf]
• Unmanned aerial vehicles and biosecurity: Enabling participatory-design to help address social licence to operate Issues
• Using rubrics to improve integration and engagement between biosecurity agencies and their key partners and stakeholders
• Wildfire risk awareness, perception and preparedness: Public responses to the 2017 Port Hills wildfire
• Residents' preparedness, experiences and actions during an extreme wildfire in the Far North, Aotearoa New Zealand
• A transdisciplinary approach to local waste management in New Zealand

Governance

Governance focuses on developing frameworks and tools based on collected knowledge (eco, social, cultural and their market and non-market values) to enable involved parties to make decisions.

Adaptive governance is one way to tackle complicated environmental problems. A toolkit for adaptive governance.

Read about:

• Solving complex problems with tools that promote understanding and empathy
• Adaptive governance for transformational change
• Testing adaptive governance approaches to address New Zealand’s ‘wicked’ environmental problems

Carbon accounting

Carbon accounting to accurately account for carbon sequestered by trees, soil, etc.

Read about:

• How the amount of carbon sequestered in a tree’s biomass (above ground, roots, deadwood and litter) can be measured.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation

Climate change mitigation and adaptation are needed in response to climate change risks and to meet internationally binding targets for emissions reduction.

Read about:

• How climate change could affect plantation forests in New Zealand

Culture and Kaupapa Māori

Connecting with a Māori worldview and using mātauranga Māori and the different perspectives of knowledge and knowing that brings, are an essential part of the way the team works with industry, government, business and range of communities across New Zealand and internationally.

Read about:

• How local Maori plan to tackle climate change

Connecting with a Māori worldview and using mātauranga Māori and the different perspectives of knowledge and knowing that brings are an essential part of the way the team works with industry, government, business and range of communities across New Zealand and internationally.

Contact

Alan Jones, Scientist, Silviculture and Forest Carbon