Universities, Sustainability and Society: Supporting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

In order to yield the expected benefits, sustainability initiatives need to be undertaken by means of a close cooperation between universities on the one hand, and societal partners on the others. The principle of co-creation and co-execution of sustainability initiatives increases the value for all by mutual learning, and the sharing of expertise and resources. But pursuing sustainability initiatives with a community and societal involvement is not simple. There is a perceived need for a better understanding of how universities can interact with society, in order to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Preface.- Chapter 1. Moving towards sustainable agriculture through higher education.- Chapter 2. Balancing Sustainable Livelihoods and Conservation in the Marine environment.- Chapter 3. Linking Biodiversity and Human Health to Achieve Sustainability.- Chapter 4. Understanding scale in wicked problems of sustainable development: Who needs dedicated courses in higher education?.- Chpater 5. Presenting an interdisciplinary teaching approach to involve university students in issues of sustainable development.- Chapter 6. Methods of transdisciplinary collaboration within sustainable research and development projects.- Chapter 7. Universities as 'global citizens': reflections and learning from a project on female leadership for sustainable development of fishing communities in Colombia.- Chapter 8. Geography of Food Summer School: International exchange for sustainable food value chains.