The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) is an interdisciplinary research centre of the University of Bern (https://www.cde.unibe.ch/). CDE’s commitment is to advance innovative approaches in research and education that are appropriate for transforming highly complex sustainability problems into widely supported sustainable development pathways. For this purpose, CDE engages in social learning and co-production of knowledge in several world regions, invests in long-term partnerships, and connects local realities to global debates.

CDE organizes its activities in thematic clusters. The clusters bring together people, projects, knowledge, and skills according to specific themes while facilitating studies from different, complementary perspectives

• The Land Resources cluster examines the use of natural resources such as soil, water, and vegetation. We investigate the role of land (access, distribution, rights) and changes/adaptations to its management (cultivation technologies, conservation, commodification) in achieving sustainable development.


• The Socio-Economic Transitions cluster investigates how global development creates disparities and how disparities shape development. We refine instruments to assess poverty and inequality, and we identify alternative development pathways made possible by social and technological innovation in the areas of labour, production, and consumption.


• The Sustainability Governance cluster specializes in interactions between global and local regulating systems. Our team uses methods from geographic information science to identify and visualize diverse claims on water, land, and food. We support policymakers by facilitating public participatory decision-making processes for the joint management of trade-offs between different development goals at various administrative levels.