P Messerli
Biographic Data
| ID | 26206 |
|---|---|
| NAME | P Messerli |
| GIVEN NAMES | P |
| FAMILY NAME | Messerli |
| SIGNATURE | MESSERLI P |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bern |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0286-6348 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 51 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 566 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
How Social Considerations Improve the Equity and Effectiveness of Ecosystem Restoration
Ecosystem restoration is an important means to address global sustainability challenges. However, scientific and policy discourse often overlooks the social processes that influence the equity and effectiveness of restoration interventions. In the present article, we outline how social processes that are critical to restoration equity and effectiveness can be better incorporated in restoration science and policy. Drawing from existing case studie…
Mixed impacts of protected areas and a cash crop boom on human well‐being in North‐Eastern Madagascar
Tropical forest frontier areas support the well‐being of local populations in myriad ways. Not only do they provide the material basis for people's livelihoods, they also sustain socio‐cultural foundations through relational values. They host some of the most biodiverse ecosystems and largest carbon stocks on the planet, and are thus a focus of global conservation efforts. They are also a prime location for the production of many global agricultu…
Maize boom, bust and beyond: Investigating land use transitions in the northern Thai uplands
Over the past few decades, increasingly intensive maize farming by smallholders in the uplands of northern Thailand has produced a maize boom that has fed the country’s livestock industry. Despite continuously high demand for feed maize, its cultivation has declined unexpectedly over the past decade, pointing to a major land use transition in the uplands. This study investigates the causes of this maize bust and its accompanying land use changes …
Ten facts about land systems for sustainability
Land use is central to addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable energy. In this paper, we synthesize knowledge accumulated in land system science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems, into 10 hard truths that have strong, general, empirical support. These facts help to explain the challenges of achieving sustainability in la…
How context affects transdisciplinary research: Insights from Asia, Africa and Latin America
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-022-01201-3
Are our data ready for the next global challenges? Resilient data for resilient societies and economies
COVID-19 has shaken a wide range of national systems and infrastructures, including health, welfare, environment or security. • The related challenges cannot be tackled in isolation as all parts of the systems are tightly interlocked and interdependent. • Addressing scenarios emerging from these interlocking challenges require transversal approaches and agile public policies. • Yet, approaches and policies depend on a steady, continuous supply of…
Large-scale agricultural investments in Eastern Africa: Consequences for small-scale farmers and the environment
Available empirical evidence about the impacts of large-scale agricultural investments (LAIs) in low-income countries is skewed towards the assessment of economic benefits. How LAIs affect land use and the environment is less understood. This study assesses how small-scale farmers living close to an LAI perceive the changes LAI's inflict on land use, land management, and tree cover in Kenya, Mozambique, and Madagascar. It also investigates their …
Pathways to human well-being in the context of land acquisitions in Lao PDR
Land acquisitions are transforming land-use systems globally, and their characteristics and impacts on human well-being have been extensively analysed through local case studies and regional or global inventories. However, national-level analysis that is crucial for national policy on sustainable agricultural investments and land use is still lacking. This paper conducts an archetype analysis of a unique dataset on land concessions in Lao PDR to …
Identifying agents of change for sustainable land governance
Why do large-scale agricultural investments induce different socio-economic, food security, and environmental impacts? Evidence from Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique
Oberlack, C., M. Giger, W. Anseeuw, C. Adelle, M. Bourblanc, P. Burnod, S. Eckert, W. Fitawek, E. Fouilleux, S. L. Hendriks, B. Kiteme, L. Masola, Z. Mawoko, S. Mercandalli, A. Reys, M. da Silva, M. van der Laan, J. G. Zaehringer, and P. Messerli. 2021. Why do large-scale agricultural investments induce different socio-economic, food security, and environmental impacts? Evidence from Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique. Ecology and Society 26(4):18…
Poverty trends in villages affected by land-based investments in rural Laos
Where to begin? Defining national strategies for implementing the 2030 Agenda: The case of Switzerland
Five years after adoption of the 2030 Agenda, there is a general lack of progress in reaching its Sustainable Development Goals—be it on national, regional, or global scales. Scientists attribute this above all to insufficient understanding and addressing of interactions between goals and targets. This study aims to contribute to the methodological conceptualization of the 2030 Agenda’s implementation at the national level. To this end, taking th…
Interactions among Sustainable Development Goals: Knowledge for identifying multipliers and virtuous cycles
Developed to be interconnected by design, the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their 169 targets have attracted a growing scientific community committed to exploring the systemic interactions inherent to the 2030 Agenda. Understanding which SDGs influence one another (positively or negatively) is critical to prioritize and implement policies that maximize synergies between goals while navigating trade‐offs. In this way, the need for in…
Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being
Competition over land is at the core of many sustainable development challenges in Myanmar: villagers, companies, governments, ethnic minority groups, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations from local to the international level claim access to and decision-making power over the use of land. Therefore, this article investigates the actor interactions influencing land-use changes and their impacts on the supply of ecosystem …
Questions to Peter Messerli
Theories of change in sustainability science: Understanding how change happens
Science-based initiatives generate particular changes towards sustainable development. But why and how does this work? Theories of change (ToCs) can help in understanding the theoretical assumptions and modes of knowledge production associated with these initiatives: ToCs trigger debate among the stakeholders and evaluators of an initiative regarding the hypothesized and observed effects of actions as well as regarding underlying assumptions abou…
Expansion of sustainability science needed for the SDGs
Land system science and the 2030 agenda: Exploring knowledge that supports sustainability transformation
What role for global change research networks in enabling transformative science for global sustainability? A Global Land Programme perspective
How can science support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? Four tasks to tackle the normative dimension of sustainability
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stresses the fundamental role science should play in implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals endorsed by the global community. But how can and should researchers respond to this societal demand on science? We argue that answering this question requires systematic engagement with the fundamental normative dimensions of the 2030 Agenda and those of the scientific community—and with the implic…
Archetype analysis in sustainability research: Meanings, Motivations, and Evidence-Based Policy Making
Oberlack, C., D. Sietz, E. Bürgi Bonanomi, A. De Bremond, J. Dell'Angelo, K. Eisenack, E. C. Ellis, G. Epstein, M. Giger, A. Heinimann, C. Kimmich, M. T. J. Kok, D. Manuel-Navarrete, P. Messerli, P. Meyfroidt, T. Václavík, and S. Villamayor-Tomas. 2019. Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making. Ecology and Society 24(2):26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10747-240226
Mapping interactions between the sustainable development goals: Lessons learned and ways forward
Pursuing integrated research and decision-making to advance action on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) fundamentally depends on understanding interactions between the SDGs, both negative ones ("trade-offs") and positive ones ("co-benefits"). This quest, triggered by the 2030 Agenda, has however pointed to a gap in current research and policy analysis regarding how to think systematically about interactions across the SDGs. This paper synt…
Closing global knowledge gaps: Producing generalized knowledge from case studies of social-ecological systems
Concerns over rapid widespread changes in social-ecological systems and their consequences for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, food security, and human livelihoods are driving demands for globally comprehensive knowledge to support decision-making and policy development. Claims of regional or global knowledge about the patterns, causes, and significance of changes in social-ecological systems, or ‘generalized knowledge claims’ (GKCs), are ge…
Middle-range theories of land system change
Sustainable livelihoods in the global land rush? Archetypes of livelihood vulnerability and sustainability potentials
Middle-range theories of land system change
Trends, drivers and impacts of changes in swidden cultivation in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers: A global assessment
Mapping interactions between the sustainable development goals: Lessons learned and ways forward
Pursuing integrated research and decision-making to advance action on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) fundamentally depends on understanding interactions between the SDGs, both negative ones ("trade-offs") and positive ones ("co-benefits"). This quest, triggered by the 2030 Agenda, has however pointed to a gap in current research and policy analysis regarding how to think systematically about interactions across the SDGs. This paper synt…
Creating a public tool to assess and promote transparency in global land deals: The experience of the Land Matrix
The Beta version of the Land Matrix (Land Matrix 2012) was launched in April 2012 as \na tool to promote public participation in building a constantly evolving database on \nlarge-scale land deals, and making the data visible and understandable. The aim of \nthe Land Matrix partnership is to promote transparency and open data in decisionmaking \nover land and investment, as a step towards greater accountability. Since its \nlaunch, the Land Matri…
Sustainable livelihoods in the global land rush? Archetypes of livelihood vulnerability and sustainability potentials
Interactions among Sustainable Development Goals: Knowledge for identifying multipliers and virtuous cycles
Developed to be interconnected by design, the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their 169 targets have attracted a growing scientific community committed to exploring the systemic interactions inherent to the 2030 Agenda. Understanding which SDGs influence one another (positively or negatively) is critical to prioritize and implement policies that maximize synergies between goals while navigating trade‐offs. In this way, the need for in…
An Assessment of Trends in the Extent of Swidden in Southeast Asia
How can science support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? Four tasks to tackle the normative dimension of sustainability
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stresses the fundamental role science should play in implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals endorsed by the global community. But how can and should researchers respond to this societal demand on science? We argue that answering this question requires systematic engagement with the fundamental normative dimensions of the 2030 Agenda and those of the scientific community—and with the implic…
Closing global knowledge gaps: Producing generalized knowledge from case studies of social-ecological systems
Concerns over rapid widespread changes in social-ecological systems and their consequences for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, food security, and human livelihoods are driving demands for globally comprehensive knowledge to support decision-making and policy development. Claims of regional or global knowledge about the patterns, causes, and significance of changes in social-ecological systems, or ‘generalized knowledge claims’ (GKCs), are ge…
Finding Homogeneity in Heterogeneity-A New Approach to Quantifying Landscape Mosaics Developed for the Lao PDR
A key challenge for land change science in general and research on swidden agriculture in particular, is linking land cover information to human-environment interactions over larger spatial areas. In Lao PDR, a country facing rapid and multi-level land change processes, this hinders informed policy- and decision-making. Crucial information on land use types and people involved is still lacking. This article proposes an alternative approach for th…
The forgotten D: Challenges of addressing forest degradation in complex mosaic landscapes under Redd
International climate negotiations have stressed the importance of considering emissions from forest degradation under the planned REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation + enhancing forest carbon stocks) mechanism. However, most research, pilot-REDD+ projects and carbon certification agencies have focused on deforestation and there appears to be a gap in knowledge on complex mosaic landscapes containing degraded fores…
From ‘land grabbing’ to sustainable investments in land: Potential contributions by land change science
This paper assesses possible contributions of land change science to the growing body of knowledge about large-scale land acquisition. Despite obvious commonalities, such as a problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approach to land change, there seems to be little overlap between the two fields thus far. We adopt a sustainability research perspective — an important feature of land change science — to review research questions about large-scale la…
Expansion of sustainability science needed for the SDGs
Archetype analysis in sustainability research: Meanings, Motivations, and Evidence-Based Policy Making
Oberlack, C., D. Sietz, E. Bürgi Bonanomi, A. De Bremond, J. Dell'Angelo, K. Eisenack, E. C. Ellis, G. Epstein, M. Giger, A. Heinimann, C. Kimmich, M. T. J. Kok, D. Manuel-Navarrete, P. Messerli, P. Meyfroidt, T. Václavík, and S. Villamayor-Tomas. 2019. Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making. Ecology and Society 24(2):26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10747-240226
Socio-Economic Perspectives on Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in Northern Laos
Land system science and the 2030 agenda: Exploring knowledge that supports sustainability transformation
Pathways to human well-being in the context of land acquisitions in Lao PDR
Land acquisitions are transforming land-use systems globally, and their characteristics and impacts on human well-being have been extensively analysed through local case studies and regional or global inventories. However, national-level analysis that is crucial for national policy on sustainable agricultural investments and land use is still lacking. This paper conducts an archetype analysis of a unique dataset on land concessions in Lao PDR to …
What role for global change research networks in enabling transformative science for global sustainability? A Global Land Programme perspective
Secondary Forests and Local Livelihoods along a Gradient of Accessibility: A Case Study in Northern Laos
Rural livelihoods in developing countries can be enhanced by improving access to natural resources, services, and markets. In remote rural areas of the humid or semihumid tropics, forests represent an important resource for livelihoods. In countries like Laos, where most primary forest has been converted to secondary forest, and where an intricate and interlinked mosaic of forest and farmland prevails, people depend on secondary forests as a prim…
How context affects transdisciplinary research: Insights from Asia, Africa and Latin America
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-022-01201-3
Identifying agents of change for sustainable land governance
Dynamics of Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in Northern Lao PDR Between 2000 and 2009 Based on an Analysis of Modis Time Series and Landsat Images
Are our data ready for the next global challenges? Resilient data for resilient societies and economies
COVID-19 has shaken a wide range of national systems and infrastructures, including health, welfare, environment or security. • The related challenges cannot be tackled in isolation as all parts of the systems are tightly interlocked and interdependent. • Addressing scenarios emerging from these interlocking challenges require transversal approaches and agile public policies. • Yet, approaches and policies depend on a steady, continuous supply of…
Why do large-scale agricultural investments induce different socio-economic, food security, and environmental impacts? Evidence from Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique
Oberlack, C., M. Giger, W. Anseeuw, C. Adelle, M. Bourblanc, P. Burnod, S. Eckert, W. Fitawek, E. Fouilleux, S. L. Hendriks, B. Kiteme, L. Masola, Z. Mawoko, S. Mercandalli, A. Reys, M. da Silva, M. van der Laan, J. G. Zaehringer, and P. Messerli. 2021. Why do large-scale agricultural investments induce different socio-economic, food security, and environmental impacts? Evidence from Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique. Ecology and Society 26(4):18…
Where to begin? Defining national strategies for implementing the 2030 Agenda: The case of Switzerland
Five years after adoption of the 2030 Agenda, there is a general lack of progress in reaching its Sustainable Development Goals—be it on national, regional, or global scales. Scientists attribute this above all to insufficient understanding and addressing of interactions between goals and targets. This study aims to contribute to the methodological conceptualization of the 2030 Agenda’s implementation at the national level. To this end, taking th…
Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und ökologische Belastbarkeit im Berggebiet (MAB Schweiz)
No abstract available
Das Berggebiet und die Neuorientierung der schweizerischen Regionalpolitik
No abstract available
Use of Sensitivity Analysis to Evaluate Key Factors for Improving Slash-and-Burn Cultivation Systems on the Eastern Escarpment of Madagascar
Slash-and-burn for pluvial rice cultivation (Tavy) is a predominant component in the land use system on the Eastern Escarpment of Madagascar. It causes ecological degradation and subsequent aggravation of rural poverty. After conducting multidisciplinary research resulting in an in-depth diagnosis of the area's agroecological system, the BEMA (Bilans écologiques à Madagascar) project now aims to propose improvements and alternatives to the land u…
Labour relations at the transition from Fordism to Postfordism, or: Why are an increasing number of "foreign foreigners" employed in the Swiss hotel and catering industry today
In the present paper, we discuss a key factor in the entrepreneurial and regional capacity of innovation and competitiveness. By basing our arguments on regulation theory, we consider changes in domestic and foreign wage relations and their regulation as an expression and a reflection of flexible accumulation. In doing so, the dominant discussion of a labour market orientated towards innovation and competitiveness is given a critical dimension th…
Research on mountains and global change
No abstract available
The Mountain and Highland Focus of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North–South
Exploring innovative strategies for livelihoods in a slash-and-burn context in Madagascar: Experiencing the role of huma geography in sustainability-oriented research
Slash-and-burn agriculture on the eastern escarpment of Madagascar is held responsible for the ongoing deforestation of the remaining primary forests. Further consequences attributed to the method are the degradation of fallow land, resulting in a loss of productivity, which is considered to be a threat to food security and the livelihoods of the peasants. The research results presented here contribute to current conservation and development effo…
The Dynamics of Secondary Forest Landscapes in the Lower Mekong Basin: A Regional-scale Analysis
Secondary forests in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) are increasingly recognized as a valuable component of land cover, providing ecosystem services and benefits for local users. A large proportion of secondary forests in the LMB, especially in the uplands, are maintained by swidden cultivation. In order to assess the regional-scale status and dynamic trends of secondary forests in the LMB, an analysis of existing regional land cover data for 1993 a…
Isle of Fire: The Political Ecology of Landscape Burning in Madagascar
An Assessment of Trends in the Extent of Swidden in Southeast Asia
Finding Homogeneity in Heterogeneity-A New Approach to Quantifying Landscape Mosaics Developed for the Lao PDR
A key challenge for land change science in general and research on swidden agriculture in particular, is linking land cover information to human-environment interactions over larger spatial areas. In Lao PDR, a country facing rapid and multi-level land change processes, this hinders informed policy- and decision-making. Crucial information on land use types and people involved is still lacking. This article proposes an alternative approach for th…
Spatial assessment of carbon stocks of living vegetation at the national level in Lao PDR
Geografisk Tidsskrift Danish Journal of Geography 111(1):11–26, 2011 The international mechanism for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) supposedly offers new opportunities for combining climate mitigation, conservation of the environment, and socio-economic development for development countries. In Laos REDD is abundantly promoted by the government and development agencies as a potential option for …
Integrating physical and human geography in the context of mountain development: The Bernese approach
Time and again, discussions at the Institute of Geography in Bern regarding the choice of new faculty or debates about how to position ourselves scientifically have inspired us to re-examine our understanding of our discipline. The structural report, for example, which the Institute’s board of directors presented to faculty and university directors in 1994, describes our scientific self-conception as follows: "Geography is concerned with humankin…
Publisher Information
Carbon Pools and Poverty Peaks in Lao PDR: Spatial Data Inform Policy-making for Redd+ at the National Level
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) is heavily promoted in Laos. REDD+ is often perceived as an opportunity to jointly address climate change and poverty and, therefore, could come timely for Laos to combine its prominent national target of poverty eradication with global climate mitigation efforts. Countrywide planning of the right approaches to REDD+ com…
Publisher Information
Trends, drivers and impacts of changes in swidden cultivation in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers: A global assessment
The forgotten D: Challenges of addressing forest degradation in complex mosaic landscapes under Redd
International climate negotiations have stressed the importance of considering emissions from forest degradation under the planned REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation + enhancing forest carbon stocks) mechanism. However, most research, pilot-REDD+ projects and carbon certification agencies have focused on deforestation and there appears to be a gap in knowledge on complex mosaic landscapes containing degraded fores…
Publisher Information
From ‘land grabbing’ to sustainable investments in land: Potential contributions by land change science
This paper assesses possible contributions of land change science to the growing body of knowledge about large-scale land acquisition. Despite obvious commonalities, such as a problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approach to land change, there seems to be little overlap between the two fields thus far. We adopt a sustainability research perspective — an important feature of land change science — to review research questions about large-scale la…
Secondary Forests and Local Livelihoods along a Gradient of Accessibility: A Case Study in Northern Laos
Rural livelihoods in developing countries can be enhanced by improving access to natural resources, services, and markets. In remote rural areas of the humid or semihumid tropics, forests represent an important resource for livelihoods. In countries like Laos, where most primary forest has been converted to secondary forest, and where an intricate and interlinked mosaic of forest and farmland prevails, people depend on secondary forests as a prim…
Creating a public tool to assess and promote transparency in global land deals: The experience of the Land Matrix
The Beta version of the Land Matrix (Land Matrix 2012) was launched in April 2012 as \na tool to promote public participation in building a constantly evolving database on \nlarge-scale land deals, and making the data visible and understandable. The aim of \nthe Land Matrix partnership is to promote transparency and open data in decisionmaking \nover land and investment, as a step towards greater accountability. Since its \nlaunch, the Land Matri…
Socio-Economic Perspectives on Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in Northern Laos
Dynamics of Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in Northern Lao PDR Between 2000 and 2009 Based on an Analysis of Modis Time Series and Landsat Images
The geography of large-scale land acquisitions: Analysing socio-ecological patterns of target contexts in the global South
This paper analyses local geographical contexts targeted by transnational large-scale land acquisitions (>200 ha per deal) in order to understand how emerging patterns of socio-ecological characteristics can be related to processes of large-scale foreign investment in land. Using a sample of 139 land deals georeferenced with high spatial accuracy, we first analyse their target contexts in terms of land cover, population density, accessibility, an…
Geography (33 works) · Ecology (26 works) · Economics (26 works) · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management (23 works) · Business (22 works) · Environmental resource management (22 works) · Political science (21 works) · Agriculture (20 works) · Environmental Science (15 works) · Land use (14 works)