ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSDISCIPLINARY PROCESS WITH KNOWLEDGE COPRODUCTION FOR HUMAN-WILDLIFE COEXISTENCE MANAGEMENT

• Grant number: 24/13720-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
• Grantee: Loisa Fabrícia Prates Alvarez
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/11823-0 - Transdisciplinarity for human-wildlife coexistence in shared and spared landscapes, AP.BTA.R

Abstract

Transdisciplinary exercises with knowledge co-production can expand the approach to human-wildlife coexistence as a central element in the transition to sustainability across different landscape contexts. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that simply including different actors in a collaborative process is insufficient to ensure the social relevance, legitimacy, credibility, and effectiveness of the knowledge generated.In light of this, this master's project, developed within the scope of the project "Transdisciplinarity for Human-Wildlife Coexistence in Shared and Spared Landscapes" (FAPESP #2023/11823-0), aims to evaluate the transdisciplinary collaboration process with the co-production of actionable knowledge for human-wildlife coexistence.For data collection, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation will be conducted, considering three study groups:(i) the research project team, consisting of 35 members, including 20 academics and 15 non-academics;(ii) stakeholders from planning workshops, which will take place in the project's conservation units (APA-SFX and PESM-NSV); and(iii) participants in a focus group currently being formed with residents of a residential neighborhood in Piracicaba, SP.The interviews and questionnaires will include open and closed-ended questions, specifically designed for each study group, aiming to investigate perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors regarding the transdisciplinary process. Participant observation will be carried out throughout all meetings and workshops, seeking to explore opportunities, barriers, and gaps in the transdisciplinary process with knowledge co-production.Qualitative data will be interpreted through discourse analysis, while quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. It is expected that the results of this research will contribute to strengthening transdisciplinary collaboration with knowledge co-production, addressing the inherent gaps and barriers in the process. Furthermore, the results are anticipated to broaden the use of transdisciplinarity as a pathway toward a transition to sustainability.