The research project on Governing Nature based Solutions, prospects for a just green
transition in Kenya
(Justice, Carbon, Nature, JUCAN)

The University of Nairobi (UoN), the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), and the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) with funding from DANIDA hereby invite applications for three PhD scholarships under the project Governing Nature based Solutions: The prospects for a just green transition in Kenya (JUCAN – Justice, Carbon, Nature). Subject to satisfactory performance and legal requirements, each PhD scholar can obtain a double degree from The University of Nairobi and the University of Copenhagen.

About the research project

Nature based Solutions (NbS) are, in brief, actions that aim at benefiting climate, biodiversity and people simultaneously. NbS are high on the global and national carbon offsetting and biodiversity conservation agendas. The number of NbS projects is growing in the Global South, including in Kenya. While NbS scholars tend to focus on technical aspects of how to address the climate, biodiversity and people objectives simultaneously, there is less knowledge about NbS governance. Critics argue that there are considerable trade-offs between the NbS objectives, and there is a risk that interventionist approaches and skewed
power relations marginalize local communities by disrupting their institutions and undermining their rights to land and other natural resources, thus contributing to environmental injustice. JUCAN sets out to learn from the institutional dynamics and government arrangements of NbS in Kenya. Kenya has a long and devastating record of environmental injustice, but rural communities depend on the conservation and restoration of their degraded natural resources. The main research question is: What are the implications of NbS governance for a just green transition in Kenya?