Understanding stakeholder decision-making for rewilding and restoration initiatives in the UK

地球仪大部分地区的生态系统已被人类活动显著改变。《2019年生物多样性和生态系统服务全球评估报告》指出，绝大多数生态系统和生物多样性指标显示出快速下降，并呼吁进行变革以恢复和保护自然（IPBES 2019）。目前正在考虑的对生物多样性危机采取的补救行动包括野化和恢复的概念。尽管这些倡议越来越受欢迎，但决策仍然缺乏科学证据，特别是利益相关者在采用/不采用和实施过程中考虑的因素，需要加以解决，以便实现联合国可持续发展目标所要求的土地和海洋的变革。然而，尽管英国的野化和恢复计划越来越多，与野化相关的想法也越来越普及，但与野化计划相关的决策仍然难以获得经验证据（Petorelli et al. 2017）。特别是，缺乏了解哪些因素影响利益相关者决定是否采取野化和恢复管理，以及哪些因素影响利益相关者，包括个人土地所有者以及组织在管理选项（包括物种选择，生态监测，社会接受度）上的决定，这些选项会影响这些举措对社会和自然的好处。因此，这个博士项目的目的是：一）调查利益相关者的动机，并确定因素，促进或阻碍通过野化和恢复的方法，包括社会文化，经济和生态因素和二）实证研究利益相关者的决策是如何联系到实施野化和恢复的举措，并提供一系列的生态系统服务的能力。要做到这一点，我们提出了一个比较的案例研究方法在英国不同的情况下设置。在案例研究中，我们建议调查利益相关者的决策过程，包括（不）采用特定管理方法（包括）的原因。例如，使用生态监测方法指导决策），以及野化和恢复举措提供的生态系统服务和损害。这些方法将以社会科学方法为基础，包括参与性观察、公开和半结构化访谈以及在各种野化项目环境中与不同利益攸关方群体进行重点小组讨论。我们希望博士申请人能够以社会科学研究方法和公众参与实践和技术为导向。在整个3.5年的项目中，博士生将参加QUADRAT DTP提供的培训计划，该计划开发了一系列可转移的技能。培训包括实地课程、定量和高级技能培训（例如统计）、实习和特许管理学院战略管理和领导力证书。该项目将培养环境社会科学方面的技能，重点是恢复和恢复，非常适合具有地理，环境管理，保护生物学或相关学科背景的候选人。参与式研究方法的经验，包括采访和主持焦点小组讨论不是必需的，但将是有益的。

Ecosystems across most of the globe have been significantly altered by human actions. The 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services states that the the great majority of indicators of ecosystems and biodiversity showing rapid decline and calls for transformative changes to restore and protect nature (IPBES 2019). Among the remedial actions to the current biodiversity crisis being considered are the concepts of rewilding and restoration. Despite a growing popularity of such initiatives, there is still a lack of scientific evidence for decision-making, particularly about the factors that stakeholders take into account for adoption/non-adoption and during implementation, which needs to be addressed in order to deliver the transformative changes called for our lands and seas by the UN Sustainable Development goals. However, despite a growing number of rewilding and restoration initiatives in the UK, and a wider popularization of ideas related to rewilding, empirical evidence available for decision-making related to rewilding initiatives remains elusive (Petorelli et al. 2017). Particularly, there is a lack of understanding what factors influence whether stakeholders decide to adopt rewilding and restoration management or not, and what influences stakeholders including individual landowners as well as organisations in their decisions on management options (including e.g. choices on species, ecological monitoring, social acceptance) that affect the benefits to society and nature these initiatives can deliver. The aims of this PhD project are therefore to: i) investigate stakeholder motivations and identify factors that foster or hinder the adoption of rewilding and restoration approaches, including socio-cultural, economic and ecological considerations and ii) to study empirically how stakeholder decision-making is linked to the implementation of rewilding and restoration initiatives and their ability to deliver a range of ecosystem services. To do so, we propose a comparative case study approach across diverse case settings in the UK. Within the case studies we propose to investigate both the decision-making processes of stakeholders, including the reasons for (non-)adoption of particular management approaches (incl. e.g. the use of ecological monitoring approaches to guide decision-making), as well as the ecosystem services and disservices delivered by the rewilding and restoration initiatives. The methods will be based on social science methodologies, including participatory observation, open and semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with different stakeholder groups in a variety of rewilding project settings. We would expect the PhD applicant to become orientated with social science research methodologies and public engagement practices and techniques. Throughout the 3.5 year project, the PhD candidate will undertake a training programme provided by the QUADRAT DTP that develops a range of transferable skills. The training includes field courses, quantitative and advanced skills training (e.g. statistics), an internship and a Chartered Management Institute certificate in strategic management and leadership. This project will develop skills in environmental social science focused on rewilding and restoration and will be ideally suited for candidates with a background in geography, environmental management, conservation biology or a related discipline. Experience in participatory research methods, including interviewing and moderating focus group discussions is not essential, but will be beneficial.