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SDG: 3 Good health and well-being

Good health and well-being

Governance challenges are at the heart of delivering sustainability commitments, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Paris Agreement’s 1.5° C climate target. These ambitious goals have profound implications for land and resource use, shaping housing, food, timber, water, energy, climate action, nature recovery, and recreation. However, equitably achieving these goals requires navigating trade-offs and conflicts across scales.

There is growing interest in the potential of ‘place-based’ governance to incorporate diverse stakeholder perspectives, foster cross-sector collaboration, and develop contextually appropriate solutions. Despite their widespread adoption and potential, many uncertainties remain about how place-based approaches function in practice and how they can be improved.

This Sprint aimed to bridge these gaps, offering insights to strengthen environmental governance and support both national and global sustainability targets. The research used a mixed methods approach to understand how and whether Area Statements are currently working, both at a national level and in a number of case study areas. We built on this to develop and share an evidence-informed roadmap for enhancing the effectiveness of environmental governance.

Why this Sprint? Why now?

We partnered with Natural Resources Wales and focussing on Welsh Area Statements (AS). These regional, place-based plans are mandated by legislation, including the Well-being of Future Generations Act, the Environment Act, and the Planning Act and were developed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) through participatory engagement with local communities. Whilst these statements outline key priorities and challenges for each area, there are concerns that AS have failed to fulfil their potential and face persistent implementation and delivery gaps, underscoring the need for deeper analysis and actionable improvements.

This Sprint aimed to produce research that equips key actors associated with Area Statements – including NRW staff, end users, and Welsh Government leaders – to engage meaningfully with the area statement process. The goal was to ensure that Area Statements are effectively integrated in the new Natural Resources Policy, and able to be meaningfully implemented on the ground, addressing persistent delivery challenges. We anticipate the research will produce learnings of relevance of environmental governance across the UK and beyond.

This Sprint investigated a critical and under-recognised consequence of climate change: the increased risk of childhood sexual abuse during and after climate emergencies across Eastern and Southern Africa. Led by Professor Lucie Cluver (University of Oxford, Department of Social Policy & Intervention), with co-leads Associate Professor Neil Hart (School of Geography & the Environment) and Associate Professor Seth Flaxman (Computer Science), the project brought together an interdisciplinary team of social scientists, climate scientists, and data scientists.

Working in collaboration with the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, the International Federation of the Red Cross, World Vision International and the University of Cape Town, the Sprint worked to provide urgently needed evidence on how drought and extreme heat affect risks of sexual violence against children and adolescents.

The team aimed to combine climate and child protection data, using advanced computational methods, to generate new insights for real world policy impact. The team worked with policy partners to co-produce accessible materials designed for direct use by humanitarian agencies and governments across Africa.

Why this Sprint? Why now?

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, extreme heat and recurrent drought are becoming more frequent. These conditions are associated with increased poverty, food insecurity, caregiver loss, and school closures – all known risk factors for violence against children. Already, one in five girls in the region experience sexual violence before age 18, with lifelong health, educational, and economic consequences. Yet there is almost no quantitative research examining the linkages between climate emergencies and child sexual abuse. This leaves governments and international agencies without the knowledge and tools required to prevent avoidable harm.

The Sprint aimed to address this evidence gap at a critical moment, as the climate crisis escalates and humanitarian actors seek new ways to anticipate and reduce its impacts. By generating clear, actionable evidence in collaboration with international partners, the project aimed to ensure that climate resilience efforts centre the need to protect children from sexual violence. Meaningful impact will ensure we can contribute to a safer, more just, and more sustainable future.