BIONEXT newsletter – May 2023

Editorial: BIONEXT’s newsletter as a tool for initiating impact

Research is about creating new knowledge, but the impact of research comes from the behavioral change the knowledge induces. BIONEXT newsletter is a potential starting point for such an impact. Here, we communicate with you the early findings and foreseen recommendations and action points. As researchers, we would prefer to have our results ready and peer-reviewed before speaking out loud. However, this would not give you time to digest our findings, discuss them with your colleagues or ask us questions that in the best case are answerable within the time frame and resources of our project. We also want to give you a chance to give us feedback so that our forthcoming policy briefs are clear and actionable.

It is my great pleasure to act as an editor-in-chief in the very first BIONEXT newsletter. So, with that being said, please enjoy reading our newsletter, which takes you to the world of the biodiversity nexus and beautiful Greece, where the BIONEXT stakeholders created nature-positive visions toward where they think Europe should be ahead.

Soile Oinonen is the co-coordinator of BIONEXT. She is also involved in conducting a systematic review of the biodiversity nexus and developing a process for impactful policy briefs. At the Finnish environment institute, Soile is the group manager of the politics of knowledge group in the societal change unit.

Photo: Kai Widell.

Main findings, results and recommendations

This section presents the main findings, results and recommendations from the project over the last six months.

• The BIONEXT project has started! The project has now been going on for almost nine months and the researchers are working hard. The project has set up their website, social media accounts and of course the newsletter is up and running.

• We have even had our first core workshop which was from 4-5 May in Greece. The findings of the workshop are currently being synthesized, which will generate 1) a set of localized shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) that depict possible future trajectories for Europe, enriched with impacts on biodiversity, food, water, climate, health, energy, and transport, and 2) three visions of a nature-positive future for Europe, each reflecting a desirable future according to different value perspectives.

• We have noted that across the literature on the biodiversity nexus and transformative change, there is much implicit use of the transformative change concept, which conceals crucial interpretations and positions on how change unfolds. The next step is to 1) give clarity on how transformative change is talked about across the biodiversity nexus elements (biodiversity, food, water, climate, health, energy, and transport) and at various scale levels (i.e., local vs global; civil society, state, market; etc.) and 2) what governance responses might be suitable.

Learn more

Press release: New solutions and tools are being created for achieving nature-centered future

The new research and innovation project BIONEXT started in September 2022. The project creates novel science-based solutions and tools for halting biodiversity loss and achieving sustainable, nature-centered future and societies.

News article: What a nature-centered Europe can look like in 2050

Nature for society, nature as culture, or nature for nature – what will Europe look like in the year 2050? European changemakers are exploring a new set of visions for nature-centered Europe for 2050. In a May workshop in Greece, stakeholders from different backgrounds such as research, policy, activism, and businesses, created scenarios and visions of what a nature-centered Europe looks like in the year 2050. So, what were the results?

Blog post: Wearing two hats: BIONEXT research and the IPBES Nexus Assessment

Researchers are often wearing multiple hats. For example, our experts are wearing two hats meaning that they are a part of BIONEXT and expert authors for the IPBES nexus assessment. What does this mean and feel like?

News article: Identifying pathways to sustainable societies – BIONEXT’s methodologies as a tool for nature-centered futures

The BIONEXT project is identifying pathways that help to achieve sustainable, nature-centered futures and societies. One key component of these pathways is the Pathways app, which will be based on good, real-world practices where biodiversity and nature have been the center of decision-making.

Blog Post: Close your eyes and imagine Europe in 2050…

Close your eyes and imagine your ideal Europe in 2050. What does Europe’s nature and society look like in this future? It can be difficult to imagine such a future, and we are probably all imagining a slightly different world. To help us envision these preferable scenarios of the future the IPBES Task Force on Scenarios and Models developed the Nature Futures Framework (NFF).

In the spotlight: the biodiversity nexus

In every newsletter, we give a spotlight on one element from the biodiversity nexus. For the first newsletter, we introduce what is the biodiversity nexus.

The biodiversity nexus demonstrates the diverse, intertwined relationships between people and nature. It shows how our resource use affects nature and biodiversity and vice versa.

Uncovering the interlinkages and interdependencies between the elements of biodiversity, water, food, energy, health, climate, and transport is crucial to better understanding the biodiversity nexus. By understanding the biodiversity nexus, we can make better decisions on how we manage and interact with nature and biodiversity.

News from other projects

BIONEXT x BioAgora x Transformative change cluster

BIONEXT is a part of the transformative change cluster. But what does the cluster mean? Check out the article from BioAgora, Horizon Europe-funded project that attended the meeting as an observer.

Engage with us

Do you have knowledge of projects or initiatives that address biodiversity with water, food, energy, transport, climate, and/or health? Then check out this blog and share your knowledge with us!

As part of the BIONEXT project we’re bringing together and analyzing case studies of real-world projects and initiatives that have delivered, or attempted to deliver, transformative change for biodiversity. Find out more and complete a short form to submit your examples.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for our project please contact bionext.project@syke.fi! You can also submit your wishes for the next newsletter by sending us an email.

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