Transformative pathways at Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: an analytical application of the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment

There is an urgent and necessary need for transformative change towards sustainable and just futures. The recently approved IPBES Transformative Change Assessment (TCA) defines transformation as a shift across views, practices and structures, via multiple pathways and strategies. The TCA constitutes an analytical framework characterising transformations at different scales and contexts. Moreover, it provides an overview of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, Principles of transformative change and the required Approaches to trigger, steer and reinforce transformations. As an analytical framework, the TCA has the potential to provide a better understanding of how place-based, complex change processes including plural visions of positive futures can derive different sustainability outcomes in different social-ecological contexts. This work applies the TCA framework to elicit most transformative pathways in the Kilimanjaro social-ecological system. We thereby aim to contribute to two main gaps in transformations research: 1) analyzing complex processes that unfold across views, structures and practices, at different scales and in various sectors, with place-based lenses; and 2) addressing plural – sometimes conflicting visions of what constitutes good futures across a diversity of actors. To address these gaps, we propose a place-based analysis of transformative change anchored in the TCA framework. We synthesize a long process of interdisciplinary  social-ecological research including participatory workshops, surveys and interviews with diverse local actors at Mt Kilimanjaro to map how this social-ecological system may undergo transformative change. First, we aim to synthesize knowledge on how the Principles of transformative change, the Underlying causes of biodiversity and the main Challenges and barriers of transformation play out locally at Mt Kilimanjaro. We then aim to identify Visions and Views of various local actors such as villagers, conservationists, or local initiatives. We analyze existing and potential Approaches and Actions across the Views-Practices-Structures framework by exploring recommendations and desired management actions. With a focus on the Kilimanjaro social-ecological system, we capture systems dynamics, governance arrangements across scales and the place-specific aspects of transformative change. Hence, this work aims to provide an empirical place-based application that deepens the understanding of transformative change and identifies the most  transformative pathways toward desirable futures for Mount Kilimanjaro.