Justice, equity and wellbeing

Justice and equity are at the core of sustainability: it is defined by the principle of constraining social and economic actions because of their impacts on others. In particular sustainability’s focus has been on consequences for future generations, contemporary human populations - who either feel the negative impacts of growth and industrialisation or whose exploitation is intrinsic to unsustainable practices -, and other species which share the Earth’s ecosystems.

Recently, linkages between the natural environment and forms of human wellbeing that go beyond subsistence and basic ecosystem functionality have been increasingly recognised. Mental and physical health amongst relatively affluent societies have been central to this revolution. This leads those concerned with land use into environmental and social justice debates, paying particular attention to the equitable distribution of the costs and benefits of land management. It also draws those concerned with land into substantial engagement with stakeholders and policy arenas that have previously been unfamiliar to them, such as health and social care.

Bangor University researchers are generating knowledge relating to key contemporary dimensions of justice, equity and wellbeing including, for example, the cultural and social impacts of particular types of land management and land use change, the relationships between poverty and access to land-based goods and services, the ethical implications of land use transitions, and methods for understanding and managing trade-offs. Projects include: