Through the project "EcoGaps," Indset and Sandkjær Hansen have worked to make knowledge about nature management more accessible to municipalities.
According to the jury at OsloMet, their efforts have yielded significant results: They "(…) have not only communicated important findings but mobilized public opinion and created increased awareness of the necessity of sustainable land use management," the jury writes, referring among other things to the NRK documentary "Norway in Red, White and Grey," where the research received national attention.
"Congratulations on the prize! How did you react when you received the news?"
"It came completely unexpectedly, and we were very surprised! But it is gratifying that the research is being noticed. The UN climate and nature panel has documented that we are facing a double crisis, where both climate change and loss of biodiversity threaten our basis for life. Land use changes are one of the most important causes. However, now a shift is happening, where we understand better how important nature is for us."
Something magical happens when you dare to work with people who think completely differently than yourself.– Marthe Indset og Gro Sandkjær Hansen
"How do you notice this shift?"
"Increasingly, municipalities are using new tools such as land accounting, goals for land neutrality, and measures for nature restoration in their land use planning. The Norwegian Environment Agency is taking national action, and not least there is more attention to the destruction of nature and what natural goods mean for our common welfare."
"Tell us about your project."
"The goal has been to develop tools and build knowledge to close so-called ecological gaps, that is, the gap between available nature knowledge and the actual use of that knowledge in political decision-making processes. We have collaborated with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), professional environments in Nordre Follo municipality, Akershus, Buskerud, and Østfold county municipalities, as well as the environmental organization Sabima."
"What is the most important thing you have learned?"
"We have learned that in order to find solutions, we must work together with those who know the needs and challenges. Municipal employees, for example, have helped develop a framework for a nature account, which shows the extent of nature being built on. This is a set of methods that have also been used by journalists at NRK. EcoGaps has been just as much a workshop as a research project, where we have conducted research with the field practitioners, not on them."
"What drives your engagement?"
"It is a great joy to work with skilled people and exciting professional environments, and with a mission that is so important. It is difficult not to become engaged when you see how research can benefit society and lead to better decision-making processes. It also helps to have good colleagues at NIBR who celebrate Halloween and have potato races in the hallways before May 17!"
"What are you most proud of?"
"We are proud that we have managed to build bridges between research and practice, and that researchers, management, and civil society have created solutions together. The framework we have developed for nature accounting in land management is already in use in Nordre Follo municipality, and we have closely collaborated with the former Viken county municipality (now Akershus, Østfold, and Buskerud) to find ways to support municipalities to avoid nature loss."
"Which advice will you give others?"
"Our experience is that something magical happens when you dare to work with people who think completely differently than yourself. Working interdisciplinarily is not about sitting in a meeting with people from other disciplines; it is about daring to let your own concepts and methods be challenged."
"What’s next for you?"
"We will continue with our friendly but academically strong insistence that sustainable and democratic governance is possible."
