Halting and reversing biodiversity loss calls for ever more substantial efforts across the globe. There is broad consensus that transformative changes are needed. However, in the BIONEXT project we have learned that transformative change as a concept lacks concreteness. To deepen the understanding of the making of transformative change, we in the BIONEXT project have studied the options for change that evolve through bottom-up action.

To explore the role of businesses in combating biodiversity loss, we spoke with three experts – Martin Lok, Anna Chilton, and Katarzyna Dulko-Gaszyna – who are engaged in the business world, to hear their perspectives on the future and the vital role businesses play in shaping it.

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will publish two significant assessments in December. To assist media coverage, we are providing a list of IPBES authors available for interviews regarding the nexus assessment and its European perspective.

For 2 weeks in October, COP16 took over Cali. While it has been hailed as a “historic” “people’s” COP, many have criticised the summit for falling short on agreements on finance and monitoring. But what actually were the key decisions made at COP16, and what could they mean for transformative change?

The recently adopted European Union (EU) Nature Restoration Regulation is a new legislative development that represents the first time that legally binding EU-wide restoration targets and objectives have been set.

Today, we are witnessing an alarming decline in global biodiversity: more than a million species are threatened with extinction and many critical ecosystems destroyed or severely degraded. Global ecosystem collapse may be closer than we think if we fail to mitigate these trends. The implications would be far-reaching and catastrophic, extending beyond ecological concerns. So how does biodiversity loss affect our society?

A future where nature and society are thriving together, with biodiversity at the heart of our decisions shaping and governing society: how do we get there? And how can we trigger such transformative change?

To halt or reverse biodiversity loss, it is critical to understand the role of biodiversity in food production and consumption, water quality and availability, climate regulation and mitigation, human and ecosystem health, energy production and means of transportation.

Through an iterative process of knowledge co-production, we BIONEXT researchers collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders in four workshops to design desirable futures and multiple just transition pathways.

With the global climate negotiations progressing, and countries now - for the first time ever! - being called on to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, the role of biodiversity in tackling the climate crisis is becoming more and more apparent. But how did the COP28 in Dubai reflect nature and biodiversity loss?

When discussing major challenges like biodiversity loss, climate change and social injustices, fixing each separately isn’t enough. We need to change how we deal with the natural world altogether – we need transformative change. But what exactly is this change and why is it crucial for our environment and us?

The European Commission funded the BIONEXT project with 4.1 million euros. We in the project asked the European Commission why the project was funded to shed light on the importance of the project. The answers were provided by our project officer Colombe Warin who works at the European Research Executive Agency (REA) as a project adviser.

We’ve read over 1,000 case studies related to biodiversity. Here’s what we’ve learnt so far.

2023 has so far been a year dominated by new climate records and extreme weather events such as extreme heat in southern Europe, flash floods in Hong Kong, Slovenia and Brazil, and the highest recorded global monthly average sea surface temperature in August (WMO, 2023). The list goes on.

Visiting Milan to join the 2023 European Business and Nature Summit (EBNS 2023), where frontrunning European businesses will discuss their action on nature, my first stop is the city’s cathedral. What a powerful masterpiece this is. Inspirational, not only for architects and tourists, but also for everyone who wants to learn how to reach the hearts of people.

Various catchy rules, such as the “3-30-300 rule”, or the “15-minute city” are becoming increasingly popular on how to green a city and allow easy access to green public spaces.

People and nature are interconnected in many ways. Our lives depend on nature’s goods and services, but our use of these resources has an impact on nature and its capacity to support us.

We’re bringing together and analyzing case studies of real-world projects and initiatives that have delivered, or attempted to deliver, transformative change for biodiversity.

We are seeking examples of projects or initiatives that address biodiversity along with at least one of the following elements: water, food, energy, transport, climate, and/or health. Read this blog and complete a short form to submit your examples.

Nature for society, nature as culture, or nature for nature – what will Europe look like in the year 2050? European changemakers are exploring a new set of visions for nature-centered Europe for 2050. In a May workshop in Greece, stakeholders created scenarios and visions of what a nature-centered Europe looks like in the year 2050. So, what were the results?

Close your eyes and imagine your ideal Europe in 2050. How would it look if we managed to achieve all that we have set out to do? What does Europe’s nature and society look like in this future?