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In this section, BIOTraCES will keep you up to date with the latest news on biodiversity and societal transformation.
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Interviews

Tapping traditional herders’ wisdom to nurture biodiversity

By Fintan Burke
An ethnoecologist has spent 15 years working with herders in his native Hungary and elsewhere to see how their ‘traditional ecological knowledge’ and biodiversity goals can work together to develop a tradition-based grazing system that is good for animals and other species..

28 August 2023

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BIOTraCes at IPBES-12: Biodiversity, business and the future of the platform

13 March 2026

Two men seated indoors, smiling and talking closely during a workshop on “Living as Nature” at the Cooperative Living Day 2025.

Living as Nature: Reflections from the Cooplink Day

5 November 2025

Interrupted Rivers: Rethinking Infrastructure, Water, and Life in Sicily’s Simeto Valley

5 September 2025

Regenerating and Inhabiting the Valley: Techniques and Experiences for a Thriving Territory

29 July 2025

The BIOTraCes Italian Case Hosts a Landmark Event on Energy and Community Transformation

20 June 2025

In social media

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biotraces

🌱How did we transform this soil from dry and barre

🌱How did we transform this soil from dry and barren to fruitful and fertile?

🇵🇹Welcome to the Malhadina Garden in Mértola, Portugal: A tiny garden of Eden in an semi-arid land impacted by desertification, drought, and depoluation. It is a key part of our Portuguese case study. Here our societal partners @terrasintropica grow fruits and vegetables using a sustainable technique called: syntrophic farming.

🥗 We followed the association from Malhadina to the @prec_terrasintropica , a food hub in the heart of Mértola, where the harvested crops are used to make delicious meals for the community.

📹See 30 seconds of the video and learn more about their innovative efforts in the full video (link in the bio).

#SustainableAgriculture #RegenerativeFarming #Desertification #Biodiversity

📣 NEW WEBPAGE From research to impact: Our influen

📣 NEW WEBPAGE
From research to impact: Our influencer and stakeholder board

To enact change, action is necessary. Research needs to be communicated. In this way, findings can turn into the knowledge that influences decision-making and policy development. Thus, turning research into impact.

The biodiversity loss crisis, highlights this need. Collaboration across multiple levels is key: We require the action of on-the-ground initiatives that take into account the perspectives, actions, and needs of local communities. And we need to communicate to the policy makers who create the laws that impact the same communities.

Today, we introduce the members of our influencer and stakeholder board. These individuals use their expertise to inspire and advise on project strategy, policy outreach, and dissemination of results. Their goal: Embedding our knowledge about biodiversity loss and societal behaviour in society, policy, and the science-policy interface. They will bring transformative thinking into networks of business, civil society, political and religious leaders.

Learn more: https://www.biotraces.eu/influencer-and-stakeholder-board/
And...Stay tuned for more website updates!

#Biodiversity #ForNature #TransformativeChange #EnvironmentalPolicy #GenerationRestoration #Stakeholders

🙌 Celebrating their value 👩 Women are an integral

🙌 Celebrating their value
👩 Women are an integral part of pastoral work. And contrary to the common image, they’ve always been present.

Females in herding wear multiple hats. They control the paperwork and economics of a farm, run the household, and go out in the field to herd the livestock.

Unfortunately though, their efforts and contributions aren’t always recognised. In response, Iboyla Lászlóné Sáfián decided to take action: She created the Hungarian women herders’ association. The group aims to support female herders and increase their visibility.

The following film shadows Iboyla as she explains her fascinating backstory. She takes the viewers though her daily routine and experiences.

🇭🇺 Iboyla and the women herders group work with Dr. Zsolt Molnár from our Hungarian case study.

🎥 See the full film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox1c2cJ3JDs
🔗 Learn more about the Hungarian case study: https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/herders-knowledge/

#InternationalWomensDay #IWD2024 #WomenEmpowerment #Biodiversity #TraditionalKnowledge #SustainableFarming

💪 Local action for long term change Our societal p

💪 Local action for long term change
Our societal partners page is now live! 📣

Meet the initiatives and groups we are working with towards our goal of transformative change. Such change begins at the local level: By creating the foundation and steps needed for large-scale, long-term action.

Therefore, each of our case studies collaborates with a societal partner for action research! Through these activities, we are acting for biodiversity.

Read more: https://www.biotraces.eu/societal-partners/

And...Stay tuned for future project and website updates!

#Society #TransformativeChange #Biodiversity #Nature

The search for justice 🌳 ⚖️ Who is most affected b

The search for justice 🌳 ⚖️
Who is most affected by environmental injustices? How do these injustices manifest themselves? Luciane Lucas dos Santos from our partners at @ces.ucoimbra, passionately seeks to address these questions…and find solutions for affected communities.

Spoiler: She stresses the connection between environmental problems, agendas, and social injustice.

Read the English translation below:
Name: Luciane Lucas dos Santos
Institution: Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, Portugal
Position: Associate Researcher

What is your institution’s role in the BIOTraCes project?
CES contributes towards a critical view on the inequalities that is reproduced in environmental agendas. It does this by focusing on the neglected connection between environmental problems and social injustice. The CES will also stress the need of policy makers' attention towards the imbalanced share of the environmental burden: Minorities are the most affected by problems such as exposure to toxic waste, air pollution and water contamination.

#Actionism #Biodiversity #COP28 #TransformativeChange #SocialJustice #SciencePolicy #MarginalizedCommunities

Politics meets science 🧬 Next week, the COP28 beg

Politics meets science 🧬
Next week, the COP28 begins. In view of the upcoming conference, we share a quote from Zöe van Eldik. Zöe is a researcher from our partners at @uniwageningen. In her statement, she emphasises how BIOTraCes takes a political stance informed by scientific research.

Spoiler: All our actions are taken with the aim for a nature-positive society.

Read the English translation below:
Name: Zoë van Eldik
Institution: Wageningen Environmental Research
Position: Researcher
Why are projects like BIOTraCes important?
Projects like BIOTraCes are very important because they challenge the status quo. BIOTraCes does not shy away from being political and taking a clear, science-based position on how we can transform towards a nature positive society.

#Actionism #biodiversity #COP28 #TransformativeChange #NaturePostiveSociety #SciencePolicy

Transformative Change… 🌍 is the core of our projec

Transformative Change… 🌍
is the core of our project. How do we see this happening in society? Roel During is one of the three coordinators of BIOTraCes from @uniwageningen. He explains his vision for achieving actionable changes. They are the basis of challenging the status quo to address biodiversity loss.

Spoiler: Politicians and decision makers play a key role in this change.

Read the English translation below:
Name: Roel During
Institution: Wageningen Environmental Research
Position: Senior Researcher Governance and Social Innovation
Why are projects like BIOTraCes important?
Projects like BIOTraCes show which transformations in society are needed to tackle the huge biodiversity crisis. They create actionable knowledge on how to step aside from the business as usual. And thus, activate the full potential of a nature-based society. For politicians and decision makers this knowledge is presented in a Theory of Transformative Change.

Learn about the Wageningen case study:
https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/ecovillages-as-hotspots-of-biodiversity-nl/

#TransformativeChange #Biodiversity #Nature #COP28 #Actionism #Society

One step beyond! 👣 After our research and case st

One step beyond! 👣

After our research and case studies have been completed…what comes next? This is an important consideration for our partners at @ces.ucoimbra. As Beatriz Caitana explains, the knowledge gained from BIOTraCes can be applied to other contexts.

Spoiler: An interdisciplinary approach will broaden the applications of our research.

Read the English translation below:
Name: Beatriz Caitana
Institution: Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, Portugal
Position: Researcher
Why are projects like BIOTraCes important?
BIOTraCes applies an interdisciplinary perspective. This increases its action scope. From the nine case studies, a robust evidence based-knowledge will be consolidated to support the project. The methodologies can be reproduced for other contexts.

Learn more about our project and the Portuguese case study:
https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/mertola-future-lab/

#EvidenceBasedSolutions #Interdisciplinary #biodiversity #nature #SustainableFarming

Collective Change How can individual and societal

Collective Change
How can individual and societal change positively impact biodiversity? What would this change look like? These are the questions Judith Westerink from our partners @uniwageningen, seeks to explore. Read her perspective below.

Spoiler: She’s excited about the outcomes of BIOTraCes!

Learn about our project:
https://www.biotraces.eu/principles/

Read the English translation below:
Name: Judith Westerink
Institution: Wageningen Environmental Research, Netherlands
Position: Senior Scientist Landscape Governance
What is your personal motivation in BIOTraCes?
I am interested in societal change and in particular for the benefit of biodiversity. We need to change our ways, if we want to give biodiversity a change to recover. But change is not easy. Not as an individual and not as a society. So, there are many exciting things to explore in this project.

#Biodiversity #TransformativeChange #NaturePositiveSocieities #Society #EvidenceBasedSolutions

Caring for nature 🌳 As a throwback to World Scien

Caring for nature 🌳

As a throwback to World Science Day we put a spotlight on Domenico Pappalardo. Domenico is an activist researcher at both @presidiosimeto and our consortium partner @unictcomunica. He emphasises why we need to care for nature. Read his statement below.

Spoiler: He considers biodiversity a crucial factor for life on earth.

Learn about our project:
https://www.biotraces.eu/results/

Read the English translation below:
Name: Domenico Pappalardo
Institution: Participatory Presidium and University of Catania
Position: Activist Researcher
Why should we care about biodiversity?
The real question here is why we shouldn’t! Biodiversity is not just an ecological parameter. It is the condition for life on planet earth - for a life that is worthy for all living beings on Gaia. You can care about nature for many reasons, ethical, political, selfish or cultural, but the important thing is: To take care at all!

#Nature #Biodiversity #NatureBasedSolutions #WorldScienceDay #Rivers #fiumesimeto

For the future💡 Proudly presenting our next team

For the future💡

Proudly presenting our next team member: Meet Zsolt Molnár, from the Hungarian Centre for Ecological Research. Why is he passionate about transformative change for biodiversity?

Spoiler: His passion is rooted in society and future generations.

Read the English translation below:
Name: Molnár, Zsolt
Institution: Centre for Ecological Research, Hungary
Position: scientific advisor, head of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Research Group
Why should people care about biodiversity?
Without transformative change our civilization will collapse in the not too far future – in a few decades. Therefore, we need to save as much biodiversity as possible for our children and grandchildren.

Learn about our project:
https://www.biotraces.eu/principles/

#biodiversity #society #TransformativeChange #SustainableFarming #agriculture #children

United for our planet 🤝 Let´s give a big welcome

United for our planet 🤝

Let´s give a big welcome to our next team member, Mara Benadusi from @unictcomunica. For her, biodiversity, and projects such as BIOTraCes are important for the health of our planet. Why? View her statement below.

Spoiler: Mara takes inspiration from a famous American cultural anthropologist.

Read the English translation here:
Name: Mara Benadusi
Institution: University of Catania, Department of Political and Social Sciences
Position: Associate Professor in Anthropology
What is your vision for BIOTraCes?
BIOTraCes is a great opportunity for challenging our relations with nature, and learning how to better take care of this damaged planet. We need to protect and restore biodiversity. As Margaret Mead used to say, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Learn about our project:
https://www.biotraces.eu/principles/

#Nature #biodiversity #RiverRestoration #Rivers #Society

The Power of Diverse Perspectives! Today we intro

The Power of Diverse Perspectives!

Today we introduce our second team member: Malina Petrescu from @ubb_cluj. She is excited about BIOTraCes’ potential to improve society’s relationship with nature. How does she perceive this happening? Read the answer below.

Spoiler: It involves the power of diverse perspectives.

Read the English translation ⬇️
Name: Malina Petrescu
Institution: Babeș-Bolyai University
Position: Associate Professor
Why are you excited to be part of BIOTraCes?
It is great to be part of a multicultural team that transforms the diversity of ideas, values, and perceptions into a “common good”. I believe that this “common good” has the power to boost a sustainable nature-people relationship.

Learn about our project and the Romanian case study:
https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/high-nature-value-farming/

#Saschiz #TransformativeChange #Nature #SustainableFarming #Biodiversity #Diversity

Meet our fabulous crew! Ladies and gentlemen, pr

Meet our fabulous crew!

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be dazzled by our BIOTraces consortium! In the weeks to come, we shall be putting our team members in the spotlight. We are kicking off the show with Rosalie van Dam, our head coordinator from Wageningen Environmental Research (@uniwageningen). What vision does she have in store for BIOTraCes? See the answer above!

Spoiler: It involves biodiversity, transformative change and greater societal movements.

Read the English translation below:
Name: Rosalie van Dam
Institution: Wageningen Environmental Research
Position: Project leader
What is your vision for BIOTraCes?
I hope we can contribute to a broader movement on transformative change for biodiversity and emphasise the perspective of marginalised groups, identities and perspectives.

Follow our social media channels and visit our website for updates about our project!

#CommunityEngagement #Biodiversity #Nature #MarginalisedCommunities #TransformativeChange #society

A Big-Picture Approach In our Amsterdam case stud

A Big-Picture Approach

In our Amsterdam case study, led by @utwente, the aim is to turn Luketmeerpolder into a foodpark.

Working with our @voedselpark_amsterdam partners, we will take an agroecological approach. What does this mean?

It goes beyond relating agriculture to the environment. In application, agroecology can demonstrate the co-existence of nature and food production.

In our case study, we will consider aspects such as biodiversity, local food production, community inclusion, and recreation.

Learn more below about the methods and goals of our partners and case study 👇
🔗Our case study: https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/foodpark-versus-industry/
🔗Voedselpark website: https://voedselparkamsterdam.nl/

#SustainableFarming #AgroEcology #voedselparkamsterdam #foodsystems #AgroBiodiversity #GrowLocal

Go for it, Audra! We are so excited: Audra Balund

Go for it, Audra!

We are so excited: Audra Balundè is defending her PhD thesis at this very moment at @universityofgroningen. Audra really likes a challenge: She is PhD candidate of BOTH the University of Groningen and @mru.university.

🇱🇹Audra is the Head of the Environmental Psychology Research Centre at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania. And, naturally, part of our consortium.

We are keeping our fingers crossed – yes, you can!

Read Audras groundbreaking and more than relevant thesis titled
„The power of environmental considerations to guide pro-environmental behavior among different people and in different contexts“
🔗http://rug.nlhttps://research.rug.nl/en/publications/the-power-of-environmental-considerations-to-guide-pro-environmen

More about BIOTraCes and the Lithuanian case study 👇
🔗 https://www.biotraces.eu/
🔗 https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/social-opportunity-in-ecological-recovery/

Outdoor Education 🏫🌲 Rewilding is an approach to

Outdoor Education 🏫🌲

Rewilding is an approach to biodiversity restoration. At its core is the idea that nature knows best how to manage itself.

In our Spanish Case Study, our partners @bc3research and Centro de Estudios Ambientales in Vitoria-Gasteiz are applying the principles of rewilding to education. This includes outdoor education, green spaces, and a hands-on nature inclusive curriculum.

How? Learn more below 👇
https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/urban-schoolyards-biodiversity-lab/

#vitoriagasteiz #natureeducation #schoolgarden #urbanbiodiversity #biodiversitymatters #rewilding

🇮🇹 The River Exists The Simeto River is at the he

🇮🇹 The River Exists

The Simeto River is at the heart of our Italian case study. It is a fluvial ecosystem, meaning it is a river environment.

These ecosystems include the community of living organisms in the river. An important component is the interactions between the inhabitants and their river habitat. Physical and chemical process, such as uptake and movement of nutrients, also impact the ecosystem.

Preserving these rivers benefits society. In a water-scarce world, they provide resources such as clean drinking water. If managed properly and sustainably, they can also prevent floods.

Our researchers @unictcomunica seek to restore the biodiversity linked to the river. They also focus on the human connection to Simeto River.

How do they aim to do this? Read about their work and partnerships below ⬇️

Our case study: https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/simeto-river-alliance-for-biodiversity/

Our @presidiosimeto societal partners: https://www.presidiosimeto.it/

#biodiversity #ecosystem #WorldWaterWeek #wwweek #riverrestoration #fiumesimeto

Listening to local expertise 🇭🇺 To conserve biodi

Listening to local expertise 🇭🇺

To conserve biodiversity, knowledge needs to be co-produced from different fields. This includes combining scientific understanding with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). TEK cumulates experience, cultural and generation information about the environment. It focuses on relationships between different living beings, e.g. humans and animals.

In Hungary, one form of TEK is traditional herding. What are the qualities that define this type of TEK?

Traditional herding involves intense observation of the animals. Herders create a special bond with them. Examples of traditional herding knowledge include learning about cattle behaviour and modifying their grazing.

Learn more about our project below:
🔗https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/herders-knowledge/

🎥Watch the film about herders' produced by our consortium member Dr. Zsolt Molnár, from Ökológiai Kutatóközpont (MTA Centre for Ecological Research):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noE0foCzd1Q

#SustainableFarming #biodiversity #nature #agriculture

Dual Benefits 🤝 Socio-Ecological Opportunities ar

Dual Benefits 🤝

Socio-Ecological Opportunities are outcomes rooted in the interplay between individuals, communities and their surrounding areas. Examples include the

Our scientists @mru.university will study how dam removal can create positive such outcomes for both local communities and the environment.

Learn more about the case study: https://www.biotraces.eu/case-study/social-opportunity-in-ecological-recovery/

#nature #river #damremoval #transformativechange

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