Transformative change and biodiversity

Transformative change does not have to start with a major intervention. A nature-inclusive farming method, for example, may work well from a technical perspective. But if regulations, business models or market expectations work against it, scaling up such a practice can be difficult. Conversely, changes in policy or the economy can only have an impact if people are able and willing to put them into practice.

We therefore look at three closely interconnected aspects of transformation: practices, structures and views.

Practices are the concrete ways in which we act, such as nature-inclusive farming or incorporating biodiversity into financial decision-making. Structures include the rules, institutions, economic systems and power relations that enable or constrain these practices. Views are the values and ideas that shape how we see nature and what we consider important, normal or desirable. By examining these spheres together, we can identify what enables biodiversity-positive change and where there are opportunities to strengthen and accelerate it.

Wageningen University & Research has extensive knowledge of biodiversity, ecosystems and potential solutions for nature restoration and sustainable use. Research into transformative change adds an important question: what is needed for such solutions to gain wider traction in society?

To answer this question, we bring together ecological and social knowledge. We investigate not only what can change in nature, agriculture and landscapes, but also how policies, markets, institutions, behaviour, values and power relations influence those changes.

We do this together with the people and organisations involved in these processes, including governments, businesses, civil society organisations and citizens. By bringing together different forms of knowledge and diverse perspectives, we explore where change encounters barriers, where opportunities emerge and how biodiversity-positive and just transformations can be enabled.

Researchers are not outside these processes either. The questions they ask, the knowledge they develop and the parties they work with can influence the direction of change. Wageningen University & Research therefore also examines its own role. Which perspectives, for example, are represented in research? How do we take justice and inclusion into account? Can research make power relations and barriers to change visible? And can it help people and organisations imagine different futures?

Research into transformative change spans a wide range of topics where biodiversity and societal change come together. For example, we investigate how the financial sector can incorporate biodiversity into decision-making and what changes are needed beyond raising awareness alone. In research on nature-based solutions, we look not only at how natural solutions function, but also at the societal conditions that enable their implementation and scaling. And in research on agriculture and landscapes, a new biodiversity-positive practice may also prompt us to examine business models, regulations, interdependencies and ideas about what constitutes good land use.

These questions come together in various European research projects in which WUR is involved. New projects are building on this work, for example by focusing on the implementation of the European Nature Restoration Regulation and the transition towards nature-positive agricultural systems.

The topics differ, but the central question remains the same: how can we ensure that knowledge and solutions for biodiversity actually lead to societal change? By connecting concrete practices with research into structures and views, we gain a better understanding of both the barriers to and opportunities for change. In this way, we broaden the scope of biodiversity research: from developing biodiversity-positive solutions to helping create the conditions in which these solutions can take hold and contribute to a biodiverse and just future.