Joining the dots: Learning to work collaboratively to address climate change

The report identifies systemic barriers to integrated climate governance in Belize, Nepal, and Tanzania, such as fragmented institutional mandates and the narrow framing of climate change as solely an environmental issue. It advocates for 'collective learning' and systems thinking to bridge gaps between sectors and governance levels, highlighting the potential of payment for ecosystem services (PES) and the role of civil society as 'boundary organisations' to foster collaboration.

• Governance systems in Belize, Nepal, and Tanzania are characterized by fragmentation, where climate change is primarily framed as an environmental issue rather than a cross-sectoral development challenge. This narrow framing limits the engagement of organizations with commercial or development mandates and concentrates authority in environmental ministries that often lack the influence to drive integrated national strategies.
• Several systemic barriers hinder the integration of climate and development policies, including disjointed sectoral frameworks with weak coordination mechanisms, limited budgetary support for cross-sectoral actions, and a lack of trust between government, NGO, and private sector actors.
• National-level multi-stakeholder committees for climate change exist in all three studied countries, but they are often ineffective due to a lack of defined participation mechanisms for civil society and the private sector, and in some cases, have remained dormant for long periods.
• Environmental monitoring and vulnerability assessments are frequently conducted in isolation by different NGOs and research organizations, leading to fragmented data and methodologies that are not widely accessible, which impedes integrated decision-making.
• Payment for ecosystem services (PES) and market-based mechanisms like REDD are viewed as opportunities for innovation and diversifying economic bases, although concerns exist regarding potential social injustices and the difficulty of linking national interests with local initiatives.
• The use of 'collective learning'—facilitated interaction and co-creation of knowledge—helps stakeholders move toward 'systems thinking,' allowing them to better understand the interconnections between human, ecological, and climate systems and identify trade-offs.
• Civil society organizations and NGOs act as critical 'boundary organisations' that bridge the gap between national policy-making and local implementation, facilitating the flow of knowledge and building trust between diverse stakeholders.

APA

Taylor, A., Devisscher, T., Jeans, H., & Phillips, J. (2013). Joining the dots: Learning to work collaboratively to address climate change. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wwf-joining-the-dots.pdf

Chicago

Taylor, Anna, Tahia Devisscher, Helen Jeans, and Joanna Phillips. Joining the dots: Learning to work collaboratively to address climate change. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wwf-joining-the-dots.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Taylor |first1=Anna |last2=Devisscher |first2=Tahia |last3=Jeans |first3=Helen |last4=Phillips |first4=Joanna |title=Joining the dots: Learning to work collaboratively to address climate change |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wwf-joining-the-dots.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{taylor2013joining, author = {Taylor, Anna and Devisscher, Tahia and Jeans, Helen and Phillips, Joanna}, title = {{Joining the dots: Learning to work collaboratively to address climate change}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-wwf-joining-the-dots.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }