Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature

Central to transformations towards sustainability is the call to redefine the relationship between humans and nature. This redefinition represents a paradigm shift, with many asserting that it holds the greatest potential for transformation. However, the practical implementation of this call often...

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Main Author: Tilman Hertz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/1013
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author Tilman Hertz
author_facet Tilman Hertz
author_sort Tilman Hertz
collection DOAJ
description Central to transformations towards sustainability is the call to redefine the relationship between humans and nature. This redefinition represents a paradigm shift, with many asserting that it holds the greatest potential for transformation. However, the practical implementation of this call often remains abstract for those responsible for interventions in sustainability, such as projects and programs. This paper aims to initiate the translation of this call into actionable steps for the design of Theories of Change. It will achieve this by bringing three approaches into dialogue: Principles-focused, Complexity-aware, and Decolonization approaches.  
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spelling doaj-art-6bfa83cd16074484ab6d1cb7f97f1e392025-08-20T02:13:04ZengThe Evaluation Center at Western Michigan UniversityJournal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation1556-81802025-01-01214910.56645/jmde.v21i49.1013Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and NatureTilman Hertz0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3480-7545Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden Central to transformations towards sustainability is the call to redefine the relationship between humans and nature. This redefinition represents a paradigm shift, with many asserting that it holds the greatest potential for transformation. However, the practical implementation of this call often remains abstract for those responsible for interventions in sustainability, such as projects and programs. This paper aims to initiate the translation of this call into actionable steps for the design of Theories of Change. It will achieve this by bringing three approaches into dialogue: Principles-focused, Complexity-aware, and Decolonization approaches.   https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/1013Theories of ChangeRedefining the Relationship between Humans and NatureProcess-relational PerspectivesSustainability TransformationJMDEJournal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
spellingShingle Tilman Hertz
Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature
Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
Theories of Change
Redefining the Relationship between Humans and Nature
Process-relational Perspectives
Sustainability Transformation
JMDE
Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
title Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature
title_full Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature
title_fullStr Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature
title_full_unstemmed Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature
title_short Theories of Change for Complex Sustainability Transformations: Mobilizing the Potential of Redefining the Relationship Between Humans and Nature
title_sort theories of change for complex sustainability transformations mobilizing the potential of redefining the relationship between humans and nature
topic Theories of Change
Redefining the Relationship between Humans and Nature
Process-relational Perspectives
Sustainability Transformation
JMDE
Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
url https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/1013
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