BIONEXT Guidance to facilitate transformative change in Europe

This Guidance is founded on the recognition that human well-being is fundamentally dependent on the functioning of natural systems. Yet, the underlying causes of biodiversity loss remain deeply embedded in our current economic goals, sociocultural values, and institutional structures. As a result, past conservation efforts have often fallen short because they have focused primarily on addressing the direct symptoms of biodiversity loss rather than the indirect anthropogenic drivers or "root causes" of the environmental crisis. Addressing these systemic drivers requires approaches that move beyond sectoral boundaries and fragmented decision-making. A nexus approach provides such a framework by considering the interconnections between sectors and policy objectives. This enables policymakers to identify and leverage synergies, such as how dietary shifts can simultaneously improve health and reduce pressure on water resources, while making cross-sectoral trade-offs more transparent and manageable.

The central element of the Guidance is a non-exhaustive set of policy options. These options were developed through the triangulation of BIONEXT transdisciplinary research, findings from the IPBES Nexus and Transformative Change Assessments, and extensive stakeholder co-creation processes. The Guidance itself synthesises a diverse range of BIONEXT outcomes, including scientific papers, technical reports, databases, and stakeholder-generated knowledge, translating these findings into policy options. 

An additional component of the Guidance is the BIONEXT Inspiration Tool, a flexible database designed to support the co-creation of context-specific policy options. Building on 648 transformative actions co-created through BIONEXT, the tool incorporates 16 elements derived from the IPBES Transformative Change and Nexus Assessments, including policy instruments, nexus governance, and sustainability and biodiversity international targets, to allow users to retrieve and adapt tailored actions for specific policy challenges. The synthesis and the alignment of complementary elements were supported by artificial intelligence, followed by a rigorous human validation process. By integrating these diverse knowledge sources, the Guidance offers an operational translation of transformative change principles tailored to the governance levels and institutional context of the European Union (EU).

Elizabeth Díaz-General (KIT), Stella Piipponen-Doyle (UNEP-WCMC), Valentina Vaglica (UNEP-WCMC), Opi Outhwaite (UNEP-WCMC), Lara Lebleu (UNEP-WCMC), Mark Rounsevell (KIT), Alejandrina Viesca-Ramírez (CzechGlobe), Paula Harrison (UKCEH), Aniek Hebinck (DRIFT), Mara de Pater (DRIFT), Anita Lazurko (UKCEH), Alexandra Ioannou (ATHENA), Jyri Mustajoki (SYKE)

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23482021