TY - JOUR A1 - Spies, Michael A1 - Schick, Axel A1 - Karomatov, Sharofiddin A1 - Bakokhoja, Bobozoda A1 - Zikriyokhon, Khaidarov A1 - Jobirov, Shonazar A1 - Bloch, Ralf A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - Adapting a Participatory and Ecosystem-Based Assessment Impacted by the Pandemic: Lessons Learned With Farmers in Tajikistan JF - Frontiers in sustainable Food Systems N2 - The paper presents a systemic and participatory assessment approach and scrutinizes how methodological changes necessitated during the Covid-19 pandemic implicated the process and its outcomes. The approach was applied in rural Tajikistan to evaluate changes effected by a development project that promoted the enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services in agrarian landscapes. The central building block of the assessment consisted of participatory workshops in 2018 and 2020 with farmers and other stakeholders to develop a systemic knowledge map and to evaluate the promoted strategies based on local expertise. The methodological basis was MARISCO (adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites), a holistic and participatory approach to ecosystem-based assessment and management that requires well-trained facilitators. While the activities in 2018 could be implemented as planned, major changes in the work plan were necessary in 2020 due to severe travel restrictions and social distancing rules. Conducting virtual workshops was not possible, as it would have excluded key stakeholders from the process. Instead of conducting a comprehensive assessment workshop guided by two German MARISCO facilitators as originally planned, a series of short and small workshops could be realized. These workshops were facilitated by Tajik scientists after receiving virtual training from their German colleagues. Although it was possible to bring the assessment to a satisfactory conclusion, the methodological changes revealed significant drawbacks. Radical simplifications of the methods were necessary that led to reduced depth of the assessment and missed learning opportunities for participants. Limited experience in workshop guidance by the new facilitators posed challenges to the participatory process and the quality of its outcomes. While the adapted method created training effects that would otherwise have been missed, it also put additional pressure on the capacities of local partners. Our experience during the pandemic offers valuable lessons learned for future applications of systemic-participatory approaches. Whereas, a complete shift to remote applications is problematic, there is a need to put greater emphasis on capacitating local partners. Methodological trade-offs are necessary for partially remote working processes, but principles of participation and systemic thinking should not be compromised. KW - Eco-system-based sustainable development KW - MARISCO KW - Participatory methods KW - Biodiversity and ecosystem service assessment KW - Sustainable agriculture KW - Tajikistan Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2263 SN - 2571-581X IS - 5 PB - Frontiers ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mack, Kevin A1 - Schick, Axel A1 - Geyer, Juliane A1 - Kruhlov, Ivan A1 - Dichte, Angela A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Ukraine based on three UNESCO Biosphere Reserves : Toolbox Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-7205 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mack, Kevin A1 - Stryamets, Galyna A1 - Kruhlov, Ivan A1 - Schick, Axel A1 - Dichte, Angela A1 - Smaliychuk, Anatoliy A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - Climate Change and Land Use Impacts on Ecosystems and Human Well-being in Roztochya Biosphere Reserve : Situation Analysis for Ecosystem-based Adaptation N2 - This document provides a summary of the situation analysis and the diagnosis. It is the cumulative result of the findings, discussions, and excursions during a. the citizen workshops b. GIS-based analysis and mapping c. MARISCO (adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites) expert workshops d. EbA training3 and recent developments since these events. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6916 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mack, Kevin A1 - Kubrakov, Sergiy A1 - Kruhlov, Ivan A1 - Schick, Axel A1 - Dichte, Angela A1 - Smaliychuk, Anatoliy A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - Climate Change and Land Use Impacts on Ecosystems and Human Well-being in Desnianskyi Biosphere Reserve : Situation Analysis for Ecosystem-based Adaptation N2 - This document provides a summary of the situation analysis and the diagnosis. It is the cumulative result of the findings, discussions, and excursions during a. the citizen workshops b. GIS-based analysis and mapping c. MARISCO (adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites) expert workshops d. EbA training3 and recent developments since these events. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6928 ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Spies, Michael A1 - Zakirova, Aksana A1 - Zuberi, Mehwish A1 - Schick, Axel A1 - Alff, Henryk T1 - Participatory Strategy Development for Sustainable Biomass Production (PARSCO): A Practical Guide Using the MARISCO Toolbox N2 - This guide provides a structured methodology for developing and critically assessing strategies for sustainable food and biomass production through a participatory and systemic approach. It responds to the limitations of mainstream policies and strategies in agriculture and bioeconomy, which often prioritize technological solutions and lack bottom-up engagement of local stakeholders in knowledge-building and decision-making. The PARSCO methodology presented in this guidebook is an adaptation of the MARISCO toolbox (Adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites) developed at the Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management. It has been tailored to assess and improve food and biomass production systems based on local knowledge, diverse stakeholder perspectives, and a systemic situation analysis using knowledge mapping and multi-criteria analysis tools. PARSCO is a landscape-based method primarily designed for application in local or regional settings, involving a series of participatory workshops with local stakeholders. It was developed over a period of five years at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development and tested in workshops with smallholder farmers and other local actors in rural Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. The guidebook serves as a step-by-step manual for practitioners, planners, and transdisciplinary researchers applying PARSCO in project planning, policy evaluation, and sustainable land management. It emphasizes the importance of systemic thinking—understanding the interconnectedness and complex dynamics of social-ecological systems—and participatory decision-making to ensure inclusive, effective, and context-specific solutions. As a standalone guidebook, it can also be used as a complementary resource to existing MARISCO guides by offering more detailed guidance on the facilitation of participatory processes. KW - participatory methods KW - knowledge co-creation KW - bioeconomy KW - agriculture KW - ecosystem management Y1 - 2025 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-9928 CY - Eberswalde ER -