Edinburgh Napier University

  This research will draw on the extensive research undertaken by ESPA projects in a range of ecosystem contexts through
two main areas of work.
The first, supply-driven phase of the research will provide a comprehensive review of all ESPA research for their findings
related to the governance of renewable natural resources. Outputs from the projects (working papers, workshop reports,
conference presentations and articles) will be sought to ascertain the focus on governance, determine which, if any,
frameworks have been used and collate governance-specific results. The outcomes of this mapping will inform the
selection of projects from which there is much to learn in terms of how they approached governance and/or from their
findings. Where appropriate and possible, original datasets, including interview transcripts, will be sought from the project
investigators. From this range of data, the team will collate and thematically cluster information on:
- How governance has been understood and addressed
- How the structures, processes and outcomes of governance have been investigated and assessed
- How the wider political economy of governance has been considered and what has been learnt about the governance
context
- The challenges in understanding and researching the governance of renewable natural resources
The second, demand-driven phase of the research, will involve the development and application of a systematic framework
for analysing ESPA findings and other related research to identify core lessons for attainment of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, it will focus on SDGs 1, 10, 14 and 15 and their call for the eradication of
poverty, the reduction of inequality, and the integration of ecosystem and biodiversity strategies into development
processes. The development of the framework will be informed by a review of relevant analytical frameworks in ESPA and
related research, together with a consultative workshop involving select researchers and practitioners from the UK and
other countries who have participated in ESPA projects. A focused systematic analysis of published research on the
governance of selected natural resources and poverty reduction will complement the synthesis of ESPA findings and both
will feed into a briefing on how to deliver on governance of natural resources for sustainability and poverty alleviation.