The project partners have extensive experience with collaborative, inter- and multi-disciplinary projects. Lancaster University (LU) in the UK will be the main applicant and take responsibility for the coordination of the project among three countries. The other project partners include the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Institute of Urban Environment (IUE) at Xiamen of Chinese Academy of Science, and Institute of Ecology and Geography at Xinjiang of Chinese Academy of Science (IEG).