We are pleased to present the results of CIVILand’s transdisciplinary Symposium, held on 14th and 15th April 2011 in Cardiff (Wales). This Symposium brought together resear­chers, practi­tioners and policy-makers from Wales, other parts of the UK and Germany to discuss current trends in nature conservation and landscape governance.

How does the call for market-oriented solutions for problems in ecosystem services management relate to the general movement toward more liberal policy systems in many European countries? In the UK, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government has set a clear commitment to shift the balance of power from ‘Big Government’ to ‘Big Society’ in order to encourage civil society initiatives to actively shape their living environment. We addressed the British debate on ‘Big Society’ by asking for the main implications of liberal trends in nature conservation and landscape governance. The cross-sector and cross-country participant composition created a unique opportunity for mutual learning, which considered the role of both cultural and political contexts.

The work­shop was a milestone event for the CIVILand research project. It was organised in collaboration with the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustaina­bility and Society (BRASS) and the Sustainable Places Research Institute at Cardiff University.

For further comments or questions on the symposium please e-mail Lina Yap.