Co-produced transformative knowledge to accelerate change for biodiversity

Project Information

RAINFOREST

Grant agreement ID: 101081744

DOI

10.3030/101081744

Project closed

EC signature date 4 October 2022

Start date 1 December 2022

End date 28 February 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 3 314 529,00

EU contribution

€ 3 314 529,00

Coordinated by

NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RAINFOREST (Co-produced transformative knowledge to accelerate change for biodiversity)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2026-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Food and biomass production systems are among the most prominent drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide. Halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity requires transformative change of food and biomass systems, addressing the nexus of agricultural production, processing and transport, retailing, consumer preferences and diets, as well as investment, climate action and ecosystem conservation and restoration. RAINFOREST contributed to enabling, upscaling and accelerating transformative change to reduce biodiversity impacts of major food and biomass value chains. Together with stakeholders, we co-developed and evaluated just and viable transformative change pathways and interventions. We identified stakeholder preferences for a range of policy and technology-based solutions, as well as governance enablers, for more sustainable food and biomass value chains. We evaluated some of these pathways and solutions using a combination of integrated assessment modeling, input-output modeling and life cycle assessment, based on case studies in various stages of the nexus, at different spatial scales and across organizational levels. This co-production approach enabled the identification and evaluation of just and viable transformative change leverage points, levers and their impacts for conserving biodiversity (SDGs 12, 14-15) that minimize trade-offs with targets related to climate (SDG13) and socioeconomic developments (SDGs 1-3). We discussed leverage points, impacts, and obstacles for transformative change and provided concrete and actionable recommendations for transformative change for consumers, producers, investors, and policymakers through both scientific publication, policy briefs and an online footprint calculator for recipes..

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the second reporting period, RAINFOREST successfully completed all planned technical and scientific activities and delivered all milestones and deliverables, with some delays agreed with the Project Adviser. The work was supported by an extended stakeholder engagement process, including additional workshops following the mid-term evaluation, which directly informed model development, pathway design and empirical analyses.

A central achievement is the development of an integrated model toolbox (WP2) combining MRIO models (EXIOBASE, FABIO/FABEXIO), life cycle assessment, biodiversity impact models (LC-IMPACT, GLOBIO, GLAM) and the scenario model GLOBIOM. This toolbox enables quantification of biodiversity, climate and socio-economic impacts across food and biomass value chains and has been applied in target downscaling, and pathway analyses, as well as in part in case studies.

Building on this, the project developed co-produced transformative pathways and downscaled biodiversity targets (WP1), linking global goals to sectoral and regional implementation and integrating justice and feasibility considerations.

RAINFOREST also delivered a comprehensive empirical assessment of societal feasibility (WP3), using surveys, experiments and case studies across sectors such as food systems, fisheries, tourism and global supply chains. These analyses provide new evidence on behavioural drivers, implementation barriers and the economic implications of policy measures.

In parallel, governance analyses (WP4) identified key barriers (e.g. policy fragmentation, transaction costs) and developed actionable recommendations through policy briefs on topics such as sustainable finance, peatland restoration, trade and tourism food systems.

All case studies (WP3–WP5) were completed and served as testbeds for the integrated framework, providing quantified insights into biodiversity impacts and feasible interventions. The project has produced more than 10 peer-reviewed publications (with around 20 in preparation), 6 policy briefs (also translated into German and Spanish), and an online footprint calculator to make results accessible and usable.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

RAINFOREST has delivered a set of scientific, methodological and policy-relevant results that advance the understanding and management of biodiversity impacts in global food and biomass systems.
Key results include:
(i) an integrated modelling framework linking MRIO, LCA, biodiversity impact and scenario models, enabling consistent multi-scale assessment of biodiversity, climate and socio-economic impacts
(ii) co-produced transformative pathways and downscaled biodiversity targets, connecting global goals with sectoral and regional implementation
(iii) a robust empirical evidence base on societal feasibility, including behavioural drivers, stakeholder preferences and implementation barriers
(iv) a series of case studies across sectors, geographies and organizational levels
(v) policy briefs and decision-support tools, including an online footprint calculator.

These results have strong potential impacts for policymakers, industry and civil society. The integrated framework enables more informed decision-making by quantifying trade-offs and identifying effective leverage points for biodiversity conservation. The empirical findings support the design of feasible and socially acceptable policy mixes, while the tools developed allow companies and investors to better assess and manage biodiversity impacts within theuir value chains and portfolios. The project also contributes to ongoing EU and international policy processes (e.g. biodiversity strategy, deforestation regulation, IPBES) by providing relevant evidence and methodologies.

To ensure further uptake and long-term success, several needs have been identified. First, continued research and model development is required to further improve data availability, resolution and integration, particularly for biodiversity indicators and telecoupled impacts. Second, demonstration and application in real-world decision contexts (e.g. policy implementation, corporate strategies, financial decision-making) are needed to scale up the use of the tools and approaches developed. This also includes the integration of tools into software that are used by decison-makers. Third, broader uptake would benefit from alignment with regulatory frameworks and reporting standards (e.g. due diligence, sustainability reporting), as well as improved access to data and interoperability of models. Fourth, sustained stakeholder engagement and international collaboration are essential to support implementation across global value chains.