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The rapid and extensive development of natural areas—through holiday cabin developments, energy parks, roads and other infrastructure—poses a serious threat to biodiversity and ecosystems, with direct consequences for climate and the environment. The case of the loss of Norwegian nature is inherently interdisciplinary, as it involves complex interactions between ecological, technological and societal perspectives. At the same time, it raises fundamental ethical questions about how we value nature, how we consider future generations, and how we balance development and conservation.
Through the workshop, students learned how to apply their own disciplinary knowledge in collaboration with others from different fields. The overall aim was to develop interdisciplinary competence—the ability to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines in order to generate new insights. Interdisciplinary competence involves combining knowledge and ways of thinking from two or more disciplines to achieve understandings that would not be possible within a single field alone (Boix Mansilla & Duraisingh, 2007).
The workshop opened with an introduction to INTED, followed by a lecture by Professor of Philosophy Arne Johan Vetlesen, who addressed ethical perspectives on nature conservation. Students then introduced their respective disciplines and reflected on similarities and differences across fields.
The first day began with an introduction to INTED and the interdisciplinary workshop, followed by Vetlesen’s engaging lecture. He highlighted ethical issues related to the encroachment on Norwegian nature, including responsibility towards future generations, the intrinsic value of nature, and the global consequences of local environmental interventions.
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On the second day, the programme featured a lecture by Karen O’Brien, an internationally recognised expert on the human and social dimensions of global environmental change. Her talk focused on the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, and explored how transdisciplinary and integrative approaches to global change research can deepen our understanding of how societies both contribute to and respond to change—particularly the role of beliefs, values and worldviews in sustainability transformations.
The students were highly engaged with the topic and carried these perspectives into their group work. They were introduced to Repko’s (2008) stepwise model of the interdisciplinary process. The first step—defining the problem—led to rich and productive discussions within the groups. As the encroachment on Norwegian nature represents a broad and complex case, establishing a shared understanding was essential for further collaboration. To support idea generation, the students were introduced to the brainwriting method.
The students’ assignment was to propose a solution that did not have to be realistic, but which should be developed from an interdisciplinary perspective. The group proposals included, among others:
A Norwegian AI model for biodiversity that aggregates existing reports and reduces the need for redundant mapping
An AI-based tool for case processing, combined with mandatory land-use requirements to counteract passive land ownership
A digital platform inspired by Dollar Street that visualises energy consumption and fosters a sense of ownership in sustainability transitions
Smart street lighting with sensors and shared environmental data to protect threatened species
The students described the workshop as both challenging and highly educational. They valued the opportunity to learn about other disciplines while reflecting on their own perspectives. All participants received a certificate of participation.