BioClimSocial - The Social Dimension of Research and Implementation of Nature-based solutions: Utilising Synergies for Biodiversity and Climate
The BioClimSocial global project aims to highlight the significance of the social dimension in the context of Nature-based Solutions(NbS) - as defined at the 5th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2): NbS are “actions aimed at protecting, conserving, restoring, and sustainably managing natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits”. The project encapsulates the social dimension as a fundamental feature threading through the full NbS cycle of conception, planning, implementing measures/interventions and evaluating outcomes, at the local or regional level, through the lens of transdisciplinary research.
The ‘social dimension’ encompasses the views, needs and experiences of a diversity of actors/stakeholders across civil society, industry and academia, as well as the interrelationship of these actors/stakeholders -power relations, institutional arrangements, governance systems etc.- and explores how this aspect of the 'social dimension' facilitates meaningful co-creation.
The project aims to complement existing NbS knowledge, tools and practice in respective sectors -agroforestry/forestry; coastal/marine; alpine/montane and urban - by exploring the state of play of NbS in regard to the social dimension and through integrative primary and secondary, elucidating how the social dimension's impact, relevance, efficacy and efficiency must feed into stakeholder, participatory processes as a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, how this iterative process, underpinned by an acute awareness of how the social dimension may positively influence the NbS process from the conception phase onwards, can enhance and reinforce NbS sustainability and robustness.
Thus, the overarching goal is to produce evidence of how one can enable win-win relationships between various actors/stakeholders in the context of biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation with specific focus on applied research.
In essence, the BioClimSocial project illustrates and exemplifies the endeavour of NbS best practice where, at the nexus of biodiversity and climate, lies the crucial underpinning of the social dimension.
Keywords
Nature-based Solutions; biodiversity-climate synergies; Social dimension; participatory processes: Transdisciplinarity
Countries
Austria; Colombia; Côte d'Ivoire; Lebanon
Duration
April 2023 - November 2025
Specific objectives of the project
To undertake transdisciplinary research that will lead to the development of a guideline (the ‘Guidance Report’). The purpose of this Guidedance Report is to provide a theoretical underpinning as well as practical recommendations for considering the social dimension in NbS.
To collaborate with four, active global NbS case studies to enrich the Guidance Report with “good practice” examples and lessons learnt through an exploration of their experiences in their application-oriented projects that address: restoring seagrasses in Colombia; urban greening in Lebanon; agroforestry practices in Côte d'Ivoire; and overforestation and pastoral restoration in the Austrian Alps.
To foster capacity building for future collaboration and potential research that expands on the current scientific foci.
Work Packages
Work Package 1
Work Package 1 involved the undertaking of data collection on the features of the social dimension as an integral part of NbS research and implementation. The data sets were drawn from those NbS researchers applying transdisciplinary research.
A mixed methodology analysis of data via surveys and interviews produced the project's empirical data; respondents were identified from a curated BioClimSocial NbS database of geographically diverse NbS study cases. The database represented four NbS sectors: agroforestry, coastal, mountainous and urban regions with a global reach across both the Global North and Global South. The questionnaire respondents, pooled from the database, responded to the three facets: NbS social principles, process and outcome.
Work Package 2
Work Package 2 centred around the research and practice of four selected NbS case study partner groups. The learning from their evolving NbS cases, along with their contributions to WP1, fundamentally shaped the findings of the BioClimSocial Project. The four NbS case study partners, along with our selected Project Advisory Group (PAG) of experts, were part of an iterative process of knowledge co-production through transdisciplinarity to produce two BioClimSocial Project outputs - the Guidance Report on the Social Dimension of NbS and a peer-reviewed publication.
Work Package 3 and 4
Work Package 3 and 4 constituted capacity building and project management activities, both of which were designed to support the ongoing and potential future research activities for our case study partners.
One of the most significant capacity-building events to take place, facilitating the exchange of ideas and the opportunity for intense deliberation among attendees, was at the Vilm (Island of Vilm, Germany) Workshop in May 2024, at the BfN premises.
BioClimSocial project for fostering applied research focussing on biodiversity and climate Peer exchange workshop.
A 3-day, in-person workshop, inviting NbS experts for an interactive peer-exchange with the focus on the social dimension of NbS through the iterative process of transdisciplinarity.
Our participants included the BioClimSocial case study partners, Project Advisory Group experts, a funding specialist and members of the BfN and ZEF- Uni Bonn teams.
Objectives:
- To understand the work to date of each of the NbS case study partners’ research and practice and exchange their findings on how to optimise transdisciplinarity;
- To document the commonalities and divergences in the social impacts and benefits of NbS, at any point along the NbS cycle;
- To make valuable contributions to the initial stages in the development of the NbS Guideline Report.
- To explore further funding opportunities in advancing their case studies with the emphasis on ‘co-creation with stakeholders.
Output: The workshop findings and key recommendations were to provide fundamental data to contribute to both the Guidance Report and a co-authored scientific paper.
Guidance Report
The Social Dimension of Nature-based Dimensions: Guidance Report
BfN-ZEF Public Launch of the Social Dimension of NbS: Guidance Report
Main Cooperation Partners
- Agroforestry: Prof. N’golo A. Koné and Dr. Kolotchèlèma Simon Silué, University Félix Houphouet Boigny & University Nangui Abrogoua, African Center of Excellence (CEA-CCBAD)
- Alpine/Mountainous: Günther Schreder - researcher at the Department for Knowledge and Communication Management, and Nicole Hynek- researcher at the Department for Knowledge and Communication Management at Danube University Krems, Austria; Florian Schublach - Manager of the Ötscher-Tormäuer Nature Park
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Coastal/Marine: Prof. Ernesto Mancero - Marine Biologist, Universidad Nationale de Colombia
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Urban: Prof. Salma Talhouk - American University of Beirut; Carine Ghassibe and Nour Bassil - graduate students of Prof. Talhouk at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Main Funding Partner
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), with funds of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)
Team
ZEF Team
- Jun.-Prof. Lisa Biber-Freudenberger (Implementing Academic Project Lead)
- Vanessa Haines-Matos (ZEF principal researcher)
Principal Lead at BfN
- Irina Kozban
Project Advisory Group (PAG)
- Dr. Andre Mascarenhas
- Dr. Sunita Chaudhary