Connecting
for Biodiversity
BIODIVERSITY AND TRANSFORMATIVE
CHANGE FOR PLURAL AND
NATURE-POSITIVE SOCIETIES
BIOTraCes in a Nutshell
There is growing recognition that even the full implementation of current conservation and restoration efforts is not enough to reverse the alarming trend of biodiversity loss. Alongside this, the urgent need to halt the ongoing destruction and exploitation of nature has never been clearer. What we need is a transformative change. This is defined as the “fundamental, system-wide reorganisation across technological, economic, and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values” (IPBES 2019).
The BioTraCes project is designed to spark this transformative change by adopting an action research approach. This approach empowers initiatives to address the root causes of biodiversity loss. What is more, it promotes equity and justice for both people and the planet.

Video introduction of the project

We take action for Society and Nature
To start a real transformation in society, BIOTraCes will perform nine local case studies across Europe. The high-impact sectors are agriculture & food, forestry, water and urbanisation.
These case studies will provide a matrix for a deeper understanding of the relation between societies and nature.

Minority leadership

Community gardening

Food forestry
Our principles

Pluralising (acknowledging variety in values)

Empowering (enhancing agency of marginalised groups)

Politicising (unveiling the political dimension of obstacles towards transformative change)

Embedding (bringing transformative change into the economy, social practices and policy)

A Theory of Transformative Change
Our nine case studies will create a portfolio of good practice:
– Identifying power lock-ins
– Discerning leverage opportunities and enabling stakeholders
– Testing co-produced interventions
BIOTraCes will also analyse indirect causes of biodiversity loss: structural factors and lock-ins, being barriers to sustainable decisions and behaviour.
A Theory of Transformative Change will synthesise the project´s findings. It will outline the crucial steps towards biodiversity recovery . And it will create public and private strategies for initiating, accelerating and (up)scaling transformative changes.

You want to transform? Watch this!
News

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Making a Big Difference – Interview...
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