The Social Sciences and Humanities Network (SSH Network)

Acknowledging the importance of enhancing the contributions from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in the work of IPBES, this network is dedicated to engage more SSH experts and knowledge in IPBES. SSH is a member organisation of ONet.

In order to accomplish its objective “to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development” (UNEP 2012), IPBES requires expertise in theory, methods, and empirical data from the social sciences and humanities. Nature and human culture are inextricably linked. As a consequence, meaningful assessments of the state of biodiversity, and potential policies, practices and technologies to conserve and sustainably use it must integrate knowledge on genes, species and ecosystems with knowledge on humans and societies. Moreover, an integrative approach is crucial to produce policy relevant knowledge for implementation of international targets such as the program of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The SSH Network is led by Håkon B. Stokland in consultation with Marie Stenseke and Marla Emery, and is an open network for anyone interested in the role of SSH in IPBES. If you are interested in joining the network, you can sign up here: https://www.nina.no/Aktuelt/SSH-Network

Report on progress in piloting a community of practice for the social sciences and humanities (the SSH Network)

A report on the piloting and establishment of the SSH Network is included in the information document on capacity building for the IPBES 8 plenary. It is available on: https://www.ipbes.net/event/ipbes-8-plenary (Click on Information, then on IPBES/8/INF/9, and then the box EN (the report of the SSH Network is on p. 17-22).

Open access publication introducing the SSH Network

Stokland, H.B., Stenseke, M., Emery, M.R., 2022. A network to enhance the contributions from the social sciences and humanities to IPBES. Ecosystems and People 18 (1), 95–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2034971

Session by the SSH Network on the IPBES-9 Stakeholder Day

The SSH Network held a session on the IPBES-9 Stakeholder Day in Bonn, June 2nd, 2022. It included a presentation of the network by Håkon Stokland and a panel discussion led by Marie Stenseke. A recording of the session is available here.

Hakon Stokland and SSH logo

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Contact: Håkon B. Stokland, hakon.stokland@nina.no

SSH Webinar Series

All the webinar presentations will become openly available on NINAs YouTube Channel @Naturforskning shortly after being presented.

You can go directly to the SSH webinar series playlist here, or click on the individual links listed after each webinar (see 'Past webinars' below), or access the videos directly at the end of this page.

Upcoming webinars

We are excited to announce that, in collaboration with Transformative Change Network at the Include Centre, University of Oslo, we will host three webinars in a series titled “Transformative Conversations” during the first semester of 2023:

23rd March 2023, 14-15:30 CEST: The transformative potential of environmental assessments
13th April 2023, 14-15:30 CEST: Justice in conservation
11th May 2023, 09-10:30 CEST: Transdisciplinarity and the co-production of knowledge

We hope to see you in the webinars! They are open to all, so you can invite others interested in the topics. Make sure to save the dates, and please note that registration is now required, unlike previous webinars.

Past webinars

21st November 2022, 14-15 CEST. Dr. Esther Turnhout (University of Twente): Transforming environmental science for transformative change. Why are we not making (more) progress?
7th November 2022, 14-15 CEST. Dr. Alice Vadrot (University of Vienna): Why are social sciences and humanities needed in the works of IPBES? A systematic review of the literature
20th June 2022, 14-15 CEST. Dr. Silke Beck (Technical University of Munich, STS department): Governance of sociotechnical transformations
28th April 2022, 14-15 CEST. Dr. Rolf Lidskog (Örebro University) and Dr. James White (Örebro University): Plurality, paralysis, practice: Making environmental knowledge usable under conditions of knowledge and value pluralism [watch on YouTube]
7th December 2021, 14-15 CET. Dr. Pamela McElwee (Rutgers University): Governing for transformative change across the biodiversity-climate-society nexus [watch on YouTube]
21st October 2021, 14-15 CEST. HyeJin Kim (member of the SSH Network and fellow in the IPBES Scenarios and Models Task Force): introduction to the Nature Futures Framework (NFF). [watch on YouTube]
17th September 2021, 9-10 CEST. Dr. Carina Wyborn (Australian National University): Sustaining diverse and just futures for life on Earth: Insights from the Biodiversity Revisited Initiative [watch on YouTube]
27th May 2021, 14-15 CET. Professor Andrew Church (University of Brighton) and Dr. Robert Fish (University of Kent): Values, non-human agency and the Anthropocene: Arts, humanities, biodiversity and ecosystem services research in the UK [watch on YouTube]
22nd April 2021, 14-15 CET. Dr. Jasper Montana (University of Oxford): Moving beyond inclusion for social sciences and humanities in IPBES: Lessons from the first work programme [watch on YouTube]
22nd April 2021, 14-15 CET. Håkon B. Stokland. Introduction to the SSH Network webinar series [watch on YouTube]