Periodic Reporting for period 4 - FIDELIO (Forecasting social Impacts of bioDiversity consErvation poLicies In EurOpe)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-07-31
Protected Areas (PAs) are a vital policy tool for biodiversity conservation. However, effective management is often hindered by conflicts related to the social impacts (SIs) they impose on local communities. Despite the significance of these SIs, there are gaps in research, and there's a growing need to integrate SI assessments into decision-making. This would help achieve biodiversity conservation goals, climate adaptation, and address social justice issues for communities dependent on protected natural resources.
FIDELIO aimed to develop a new framework to understand how perceptions of SIs are formed, considering spatial and temporal dimensions. Grounded in environmental sociology and psychology, the project incorporated recent debates, such as "nature contributions to people." The key objectives were:
Understanding the complexities of socio-ecological systems in PAs, including space and time dimensions.
Exploring the key socio-economic obstacles to achieving biodiversity conservation goals, focusing on the social effectiveness of PAs.
Developing tools to facilitate SI assessments in PAs.
FIDELIO aimed to develop a new framework to understand how perceptions of SIs are formed, considering spatial and temporal dimensions. Grounded in environmental sociology and psychology, the project incorporated recent debates, such as "nature contributions to people." The key objectives were:
Understanding the complexities of socio-ecological systems in PAs, including space and time dimensions.
Exploring the key socio-economic obstacles to achieving biodiversity conservation goals, focusing on the social effectiveness of PAs.
Developing tools to facilitate SI assessments in PAs.
The research team collected data from over 20 PAs across Europe, mainly via structured questionnaires. Over 6,500 individuals participated, and the results showed that health and inclusion benefits—especially connectedness to nature, recreation, and social relations—were most important to local communities. Economic benefits were deemed least important.
The study also explored factors influencing local support for PAs. While support was generally high, parts of local communities remained unsure about the existence of these areas. The developed framework revealed that perceptions of PAs are significantly shaped by the interactions between perceived social impacts, governance, and local levels of social capital.
Theoretical and empirical frameworks from the project have been published in three peer-reviewed journals. These findings were disseminated through workshops, conferences, the FIDELIO website, and social media.
Another key focus of the project was understanding how perceptions of social impacts differ across spatial dimensions. Research showed significant differences in how social impacts are perceived depending on an individual’s location. Detailed maps were created for various case studies, revealing these differences. These maps are available in dedicated reports on the project’s website. The concept of "spatial social equity" was introduced as an important parameter for future consideration by practitioners and decision-makers. Results, along with the methodology for incorporating spatial dimensions, have been published in two peer-reviewed journals.
A final goal of the project was to examine whether perceptions change over time. Two surveys were conducted with the same participants in four case studies. Results indicated that perceptions of PAs change very slowly over time, with only small shifts observed. These changes were attributed to time and other factors within the theoretical framework. However, several case studies were affected by significant external events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, so the results were interpreted cautiously. Further research is recommended on this topic.
The study also explored factors influencing local support for PAs. While support was generally high, parts of local communities remained unsure about the existence of these areas. The developed framework revealed that perceptions of PAs are significantly shaped by the interactions between perceived social impacts, governance, and local levels of social capital.
Theoretical and empirical frameworks from the project have been published in three peer-reviewed journals. These findings were disseminated through workshops, conferences, the FIDELIO website, and social media.
Another key focus of the project was understanding how perceptions of social impacts differ across spatial dimensions. Research showed significant differences in how social impacts are perceived depending on an individual’s location. Detailed maps were created for various case studies, revealing these differences. These maps are available in dedicated reports on the project’s website. The concept of "spatial social equity" was introduced as an important parameter for future consideration by practitioners and decision-makers. Results, along with the methodology for incorporating spatial dimensions, have been published in two peer-reviewed journals.
A final goal of the project was to examine whether perceptions change over time. Two surveys were conducted with the same participants in four case studies. Results indicated that perceptions of PAs change very slowly over time, with only small shifts observed. These changes were attributed to time and other factors within the theoretical framework. However, several case studies were affected by significant external events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, so the results were interpreted cautiously. Further research is recommended on this topic.
For the first time, this project provided a detailed explanation of how perceptions of social impacts of PAs are formulated and how these perceptions influence support for PAs. This is crucial, as there are firm plans to establish or expand PAs to protect biodiversity and address climate change, including the 30 by 30 targets in Europe and the UK. FIDELIO identified social impacts of PAs across Europe, one of the most under-researched regions on this topic, despite having the highest number of PAs worldwide. A new framework was developed for measuring, explaining, and predicting perceptions of social impacts, which can be integrated into current PA assessment and management techniques. This framework is expected to be useful for future PAs in Europe and globally.
The research revealed that subjective perceptions of social impacts are the key predictors of local support for PAs. These perceptions are influenced by factors such as norms, values, and place attachment. The research team is preparing academic publications based on this conceptual framework and plans to create a practitioner-focused webpage to increase engagement with non-academic audiences.
An innovative complex modeling framework was also developed to provide evidence on how social impacts differ based on geographic location and other indicators. Results showed that proximity to PA cores (zones with the strictest protection) is a significant factor influencing local support. Additionally, perceptions of social impacts were clustered within communities, revealing that the community context significantly affects how these impacts are perceived.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIDELIO team gathered valuable data on how the pandemic affected both the management of PAs and local communities. Data were collected through workshops, interviews, and structured questionnaires. These workshops brought together managers from 15 PAs and facilitated knowledge exchange on managing overcrowding in PAs. To our knowledge, this was the first study in Europe to gather such information. The pandemic also provided a natural experiment to evaluate community resilience around PAs and how this resilience can be sustained in the future. It also offered insights into how tensions and social impacts could be mitigated.
Finally, FIDELIO produced a toolkit for practitioners to explore social impacts in PAs. The project set social impact at the center of discussions around the co-benefits of nature-protected areas. Practitioners are now equipped with a wealth of information to incorporate SI assessments in the design, planning, and management of effective PAs.
The research revealed that subjective perceptions of social impacts are the key predictors of local support for PAs. These perceptions are influenced by factors such as norms, values, and place attachment. The research team is preparing academic publications based on this conceptual framework and plans to create a practitioner-focused webpage to increase engagement with non-academic audiences.
An innovative complex modeling framework was also developed to provide evidence on how social impacts differ based on geographic location and other indicators. Results showed that proximity to PA cores (zones with the strictest protection) is a significant factor influencing local support. Additionally, perceptions of social impacts were clustered within communities, revealing that the community context significantly affects how these impacts are perceived.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIDELIO team gathered valuable data on how the pandemic affected both the management of PAs and local communities. Data were collected through workshops, interviews, and structured questionnaires. These workshops brought together managers from 15 PAs and facilitated knowledge exchange on managing overcrowding in PAs. To our knowledge, this was the first study in Europe to gather such information. The pandemic also provided a natural experiment to evaluate community resilience around PAs and how this resilience can be sustained in the future. It also offered insights into how tensions and social impacts could be mitigated.
Finally, FIDELIO produced a toolkit for practitioners to explore social impacts in PAs. The project set social impact at the center of discussions around the co-benefits of nature-protected areas. Practitioners are now equipped with a wealth of information to incorporate SI assessments in the design, planning, and management of effective PAs.