Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PLANET4B (understanding Plural values, intersectionality, Leverage points, Attitudes, Norms, behaviour and social lEarning in Transformation for Biodiversity decision making)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30
The alarming and continued loss of biodiversity threatens both the biosphere and human life through failures in fundamental ecosystem service delivery, necessitating system-wide transformative changes, including altering paradigms, behaviour, and values. To address this, PLANET4B aims to provide insight into diverse perceptions of biodiversity and its communication to understand behaviours and motivations around biodiversity prioritisation. The project will explore multidisciplinary behaviour theories (e.g. framing, nudging, leverage points) applicable to biodiversity decision-making, considering factors such as gender, religion, ethnicity, race, age, culture, and disability to understand how they can potentially impact biodiversity perception and decision-making. Based on this knowledge, a transdisciplinary framework will be developed to change attitudes and behaviours, embracing the transformative power of plural knowledges and intersectional diversity. Relevant behaviour change methods (e.g. experiential games, nudging), creative and deliberative methods (e.g. story-telling) will be adapted and applied in 11 place-based and sectoral cases across eight countries at EU and global levels to explore the applicability of these theories and methods for triggering transformative change. The impacts of these co-creative and participatory interventions will be monitored across various key sectors and socio-cultural and environmental settings, with findings synthesised and scaled up to serve as inputs for EU and international policies and for businesses on how transformative change can be triggered. Target groups, sectors and institutions will be enabled with the gained knowledge and methods to initiate transformative change.
Considering the social science and humanities contributions, PLANET4B is rooted in transdisciplinary and social theories from disciplines such as sociology, social psychology, institutional and behavioural economics, political sciences, and gender studies.
Considering the social science and humanities contributions, PLANET4B is rooted in transdisciplinary and social theories from disciplines such as sociology, social psychology, institutional and behavioural economics, political sciences, and gender studies.
The project has explored diverse perceptions of biodiversity and its communication to understand behaviours and motivations around biodiversity prioritisation. It has conducted an extensive interdisciplinary review of social science and behaviour theories (e.g. framing, nudging, leverage points) for application in biodiversity decision-making. An intersectionality framework was developed to guide biodiversity interventions, and workshops were organised to ensure mutual understanding and connecting theoretical applications to practice, aiding the 11 case studies (focusing on different intersectionality aspects in place-based and sectorial settings) in planning and launching their interventions. A novel transdisciplinary framework was created to help practitioners and researchers understand interventions in complex systems and steer transformative change, addressing power asymmetries, plural knowledges, and intersectionality.To guide case studies in their interventions, a directory of relevant behaviour change methods was created with three broad areas: experiential learning games; attention, framing, and nudging (e.g. choice architecture experiments); and creative and deliberative methods (e.g. storytelling, participatory filmmaking). These methods were demonstrated and tailored to the case studies in a training and further adapted to local and sector-specific contexts after iteration, testing, and validation.
The 11 case studies, equipped with key theories and methods, started building their multi- and transdisciplinary Learning Communities (in intensive, place-based case studies) and Stakeholder Boards (in extensive, sector-based case studies). Background research, supplemented by additional primary research (interviews, literature reviews, stakeholder mapping) led to the establishment of learning and intervention objectives. Currently, the case studies are implementing interventions, such as experiential games on food governance, scenario-setting with photographs and participatory theatre, to understand drivers of biodiversity-positive changes in values, norms, and behaviour.
To synthesise and channel this knowledge into policy and business, key policies, initiatives, actors, and entry points of policies were mapped within the biodiversity realm (e.g. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030) and beyond (e.g. EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, agricultural labour migration and trade relevant policies). At case study level the use of system mapping (with Learning Communities/Stakeholder Boards) together with meetings with case study leads has also resulted in the identification of key policy and/or business stakeholders at the respective national/local levels.
To raise awareness and maximise project impacts, a Synergies Strategy was developed to optimise cooperation with other initiatives, resulting in collaborations with Horizon Europe projects (e.g. BioAgora, BIOTraCes, Shared Green Deal, MAIA) and other initiatives (e.g. Rare). Additionally, an action plan was devised to further cooperate with the Horizon Europe Transformative cluster projects, leading to several cooperative actions.
The 11 case studies, equipped with key theories and methods, started building their multi- and transdisciplinary Learning Communities (in intensive, place-based case studies) and Stakeholder Boards (in extensive, sector-based case studies). Background research, supplemented by additional primary research (interviews, literature reviews, stakeholder mapping) led to the establishment of learning and intervention objectives. Currently, the case studies are implementing interventions, such as experiential games on food governance, scenario-setting with photographs and participatory theatre, to understand drivers of biodiversity-positive changes in values, norms, and behaviour.
To synthesise and channel this knowledge into policy and business, key policies, initiatives, actors, and entry points of policies were mapped within the biodiversity realm (e.g. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030) and beyond (e.g. EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, agricultural labour migration and trade relevant policies). At case study level the use of system mapping (with Learning Communities/Stakeholder Boards) together with meetings with case study leads has also resulted in the identification of key policy and/or business stakeholders at the respective national/local levels.
To raise awareness and maximise project impacts, a Synergies Strategy was developed to optimise cooperation with other initiatives, resulting in collaborations with Horizon Europe projects (e.g. BioAgora, BIOTraCes, Shared Green Deal, MAIA) and other initiatives (e.g. Rare). Additionally, an action plan was devised to further cooperate with the Horizon Europe Transformative cluster projects, leading to several cooperative actions.
PLANET4B is conducting groundbreaking research to understand how decisions impacting biodiversity are made, integrating social, behavioural, and intersectionality theories and knowledge. By combining various disciplines and creating a shared transdisciplinary framework, PLANET4B aims to improve biodiversity prioritisation considering social factors like gender, age, religion, and race at different levels. The project has produced significant insights into how biodiversity is understood and prioritised by various stakeholders, and how to trigger inclusive, transformative changes. The project’s ongoing work, involving diverse actors through a co-production approach, will provide recommendations for long-lasting transformations, contributing to improved decision-making and policy design. Eight articles are in preparation to disseminate this knowledge, with strategic communication efforts targeting key enablers for greater impact. Relevant knowledge will be synthesised and provide guidance for key enablers (policy-makers, business and civil society representatives).