Transdisciplinarity in groundwater management - Towards mutual learning of science and society

Transdisciplinarity is defined as a specific type of knowledge prodution that has to be distinguished from interdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinarity deals with relevant, complex societal problems and organizes processes of mutual learning between agents from the scientific and the non-scientific world. We introduce principles of transdisciplinarity when presenting projects on groundwater and soil management in the Klettgau trough, a catchment of 156 km(2). Currently, the groundwater aquifer shows a critical nitrate load due to intense agriculture. The projects are the ETH-UNS Case Study Responsible Soil Use in the German-Swiss Area and the Interreg II EG/EU project Developmental Strategy for the Klettgau Trough. The ETH-UNS study is part of a new type of undergraduate course. The project organization, the methods of knowledge integration, process details and results are introduced as an example of transdisciplinary activities. The project was linked to the INTERREG II program that also used participatory methods in soil and groundwater management.