What is collaborative landscape research about?

Abstract

Many different landscape research approaches involve some form of collaboration between researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds or between these researchers and societal actors. Often, however, the underlying theoretical assumptions behind these approaches and corresponding research goals and intended societal outcomes are not made explicit. These goals and intended outcomes do however require different forms of stakeholder participation, representing various degrees of sharing responsibilities and powers concerning the collaborative research process between researchers and societal stakeholders. Taking the theoretical perspectives, aims and goals and types of stakeholder participation into account, we distinguish between four general types of collaborative research approaches in landscape research. These types reflect the increasing engagement of researchers in processes of societal and institutional change. The case chapters in this book reflect this gamut of collaborative research types. In each of them, the authors describe and reflect on the theories and methods they used, the contribution to societal development they intended to achieve, the challenges or difficulties they encountered, the actual outcomes they achieved and the lessons they learned. The cases thus provide a valuable knowledge base for a comparative analysis of the collaborative practices and research roles employed and of the adequacy of the theories and methodologies practiced. The insights derived are used in the last chapter for the formulation of practical recommendations for those who want to engage in collaborative research for landscape development and governance.