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Project Topic
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Despite ambitious nature conservation policies and targets at the global and EU levels, biodiversity is under increasing threat. Decline/loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems continue at an alarming rate, especially in forests that harbor 80% of terrestrial biodiversity worldwide. Enhanced conservation and restoration of forest habitats, species and functions are key for biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services (ES). However, ambitious targets are not enough to reverse the current trends. First, strong interdependencies exist between different policies relating to biodiversity, forests, climate and water, and goal achievement presupposes coherent policy design and implementation at (inter-)national and local levels. Second, implementation depends on supportive behavioral responses. Previous research suggests that failures to understand behavioral responses constitute major barriers to achieving desired biodiversity outcomes. Forest owners and conservation managers have to respond to multiple policy, socioeconomic and ecological drivers forcing them to make trade-offs under complexity, uncertainty and climate change. Therefore, the main objectives of BIOCONSENT is to provide novel scientific knowledge and policy support by (i.) analysis of the impacts of policy incentives arising from (in)coherent cross-sectoral policies at the biodiversity-forest-water-climate nexus, (ii.) assessment of actors’ behavior and behavioral changes required for transformation towards sustainable socio-ecological systems with improved biodiversity status, and (iii.) integration of biophysical, social, economic and governance drivers shaping the biodiversity-forest-water-climate nexus. The project uses integrative socio-ecological approaches to assess and quantify outcomes of alternative conservation and restoration measures on forest biodiversity and ES provision across spatial and temporal scales. The main scientific and policy contribution is Decision Support : i) better knowledge about trade-offs and synergies between policy objectives and management practices, ii) novel development and application of participatory foresight methods to explore behavioral responses promoting transformational change, iii) agent-based modelling tools that support decision-making by assessing and quantifying synergies and trade-offs associated with forest conservation and restoration measures, and iv) policy and management recommendations, and policy learning through dissemination of knowledge and good practices. By applying a systematic cross-country and EU level comparative design, BIOCONSENT effectively exploits the added value of a transnational project approach and brings together scientists from social and natural sciences. A systematic horizontal and vertical comparative approach will reveal drivers/barriers to goal achievement and enable upscaling of results and learning in a way that go well beyond the scope of national or local research projects.
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