Freshwater ecosystems are among the most biodiverse and functionally important environments on Earth, yet they are experiencing rapid degradation due to a complex mix of environmental and human-induced pressures. While international and European policies aim to address this degradation, restoration efforts are often hindered by narrow spatial scales, lacking a large-scale context and management strategies. This study presents a novel mixed factual and conceptual framework to guide large-scale freshwater restoration across Europe through the development of a Restoration Potential Index (RPI). The RPI is a pan-European tool designed to prioritize freshwater restoration, developed based on three principles: i) restored areas offer varying ecosystem services (ES) co-benefits, assessed using the Ecosystem Services Assessment Indicator (ESA), which combines Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and GIS; ii) restoration efforts face constraints in areas with intense land use and heavy alteration; iii) areas within conservation networks benefit from stronger legal support, enabling restoration. Constraints and enablers are modeled using geoprocessing tools, and the RPI is generated by aggregating these three factors through radar graph analysis. The RPI identifies very low to very high-priority regions where restoration efforts are likely to be both impactful and resource-efficient. We found that 17,5% of the units of analysis show high to very high restoration potential. As RPI provides a spatial decision-support tool to guide the prioritization of restoration actions, the results of the study support strategic, river landscape-level planning to optimize ecological outcomes and long-term societal benefits, aligning with EU environmental objectives and promoting impactful restoration interventions.
For thousands of years the Washoe people have cultivated a special relationship with the single-leaf pinyon pine. These trees once carpeted the Pine Nut Mountains of the Southern Carson Valley, providing the Washoe with a reliable source of food for countless generations. Today, large expanses of the Pine Nut Mountains have been denuded of pinyon pine, a consequence of high-severity wildfire. In this paper, we explore the impacts high-severity wildfires have had on the Washoe Tribe’s ability to access and cultivate pinyon pines on their ancestral homelands. In the fall of 2023, our research team interviewed Washoe community members and employees about their experiences in postfire landscapes. Our findings reveal a highly fragmented and volatile landscape that has significantly compromised the ecological stability of the Pine Nut Mountains. Interviewees regarded the disruption of Indigenous stewardship and its replacement with federal land management as primary drivers for the current ecological crisis confronting the Washoe people. In particular, the onset of colonial settlement brought new ways of knowing and interacting with the land that prioritized the economic aspects of land over its relational aspects. Participants also discussed challenges associated with the bureaucratic obstacles federal agencies impose upon the Washoe Tribe in their ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the land. These include delayed response times to administrative requests and a lack of collaboration in planning postfire treatments. We conclude by discussing practical solutions, such as enhancing tribal sovereignty and making land more accessible to the people.
Landscapes worldwide are rapidly changing, driven by land-use practices that threaten social–ecological sustainability. While the need for transition to a more sustainable landscapes is widely recognized, questions remain about what constitutes a desirable future landscape and how to achieve it, particularly when policy priorities differ from local aspirations. Addressing these issues requires place-based approaches that enable stakeholders to negotiate and co-design alternative futures. This study examines how participatory landscape visioning and backcasting can be systematically integrated with the Three Horizons framework to support the development of shared visions and pathways. We conducted an empirical case study in the Jimma zone of southwestern Ethiopia through two rounds of participatory workshops involving 164 participants from various governance levels. The results indicate stakeholders generally agreed on a multifunctional landscape vision, including a shared vision of the study area as a biosphere reserve integrating biodiversity conservation with local livelihoods. However, differences emerged regarding agricultural production, land tenure, and large-scale investment. Some higher-level stakeholders supported intensive, investment-oriented approaches, while local stakeholders favored diversified, non-commodified land tenure. These differences were reconciled through iterative dialogue and co-development of ten overarching landscape principles. Recognizing the landscape as a biosphere reserve and promoting bioeconomy emerged as key strategies. These findings suggest divergences among stakeholders represent alternative strategies, not fundamentally conflicting goals, and can be reconciled through shared visions. The ten overarching landscape principles align with agroecological principles, highlighting their role in sustainable landscape transformation. However, realizing the vision requires supportive policy and can be accelerated through platforms like Living Labs.
Wildlife conservation is typically achieved by excluding, evacuating or alienating the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). This fortress conservation approach has led to uprooting, ongoing distress and despondency among many IPLCs worldwide. However, in the expansive and deep forests of the Western Ghats, India, the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWS) offers a prime conservation exemplar where tribal (Adivasi) people, the Soligas, have been living with wild animals, especially tigers, leopards, elephants and managing forest resources for millennia. We provide an integrated ecological, socio-cultural and policy analysis of Soligas living in the Biligiri landscape, applying Ostrom’s socio-ecological framework. We highlight the need to understand and recognise the importance of Adivasi people’s connections, knowledge and skills in forest management. Comparing traditional and contemporary conservation approaches, we identify the need for collective action and collaboration between State authorities and Soliga communities to effectively manage forest resources, including emerging threats (e.g. pernicious weeds, pests, wildfires). Involving tribal people with the knowledge and skills to manage their natural systems can offer a win–win situation for supporting people’s well-being and for governments to reduce management costs and protect wildlife in Protected Areas. The BRTWS example demonstrates the cost-effective practical advantages of a collaborative, community-based conservation approach for meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensuring the delivery of ecosystem services for local communities and wider society.
Traditional agricultural systems in rural regions are emblematic multifunctional landscapes with high ecological and cultural value. However, they are undergoing rapid transformation due to land abandonment, agricultural intensification, and shifting societal values. Understanding how local communities relate to nature is essential for developing inclusive conservation strategies and safeguarding biocultural diversity. This study explores local ecological knowledge (LEK), nature’s values, and perceived contributions of nature to a good quality of life in a rural region of southeastern Spain. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were qualitatively coded to examine perceptions of nature change, its drivers, and the cultural importance of nature. Most participants perceived a negative trend in nature, mainly attributed to climate change, habitat degradation, and agricultural intensification. Nature was primarily valued for its contributions to physical well-being, cultural identity, place attachment, and social cohesion, highlighting the interdependence of biological and cultural dimensions in rural landscapes. Despite concerns about land abandonment and rural depopulation, some participants also identified positive trends, including habitat restoration and more sustainable agricultural practices. The results revealed strong biocultural interconnections between ecological and cultural dimensions, with LEK acting as a key conduit linking people and plants through knowledge transmission. Plants and landscapes emerged as the most salient ecological elements, associated with agricultural traditions, festivals, domestic practices, and symbolic, spiritual, and identity-related values. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of examining biocultural diversity through LEK to improve understanding of human–nature relationships and to inform conservation policies that integrate local values while promoting ecosystem integrity and human well-being.
Land-use change affects biodiversity, which, in turn, underpins nature’s contributions to people (NCP). However, there is much uncertainty about the relationships between NCP and distinct land uses, given that anthropogenic impacts and biodiversity (e.g. proportions of native and introduced species) vary across landscapes. To address this gap, we studied the types, distribution, and species origins of trees that are recognised as underpinning NCP, according to expert biocultural knowledge. Trees were sampled along 81 transects across urban, rural, and natural zones on the Afrotropical island of São Tomé. Both native and introduced trees were mainly recognised for material contributions (171 of 176 species and 6,522 of 6,530 individuals), notably for materials and assistance (e.g. building materials) and energy (fuel wood, charcoal). These biomass-intensive contributions were commonly associated with trees in the natural zone, where native and endemic species dominated. Few of these species were recognised for non-material and regulating contributions. In contrast, trees in the rural and urban zones were mostly introduced and commonly associated with non-material (e.g. aesthetic value) and regulating contributions (e.g. microclimate). These contributions may have been under-recognised as they were implicitly associated with trees, were not aligned with individual species, or were largely invisible from a biocultural knowledge perspective. Both native and introduced species were recognised for diverse NCP across zones, highlighting that conservation strategies might have to be extended into human-modified landscapes to improve social legitimacy. More work, building on the biocultural baseline of this study, is necessary to understand how NCP are realised.
This paper documents the collaborative development of biocultural protocols (BPs) with ten Maya Q’eqchi’ agricultural cooperatives in Alta Verapaz, northern Guatemala, highlighting the methodological, ethical, and political dimensions of co-designing community-defined governance tools. Framed by Indigenous Peoples’ rights frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), the protocols articulate locally grounded norms and claims over land, traditional knowledge, and benefit-sharing. Drawing on participatory and decolonial methodologies, the process engaged both non-Indigenous and Maya Q’eqchi’ researchers in a reflexive dialogue, navigating challenges related to language, internal diversity, and institutional scepticism. The paper contributes to ongoing debates on ethical research and Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty by providing a framework to assess the process of development of biocultural protocols and demonstrating how they not only support community governance and articulate collective rights, but also serve as living expressions of cultural values, relational accountability, and territorial care. The concluding reflection interrogates what it means to co-create protocols without co-opting voice, arguing for a deeper commitment to epistemic plurality, trust, and community ownership in environmental governance and research partnerships.
Despite being qualitatively different, wickedly complex problems are often still tackled in the same way as simple challenges. We draw on the concept of leverage points from systems thinking to suggest that simple solutions target shallow leverage points that tend to entrench rather than change policy trajectories, research agendas and practices. What is needed are transcendental changes to system goals at deep leverage points and, as a corollary, the criteria used to assess (research) praxis. Drawing on systems thinking, we conducted three experiments with a selection of environmental scientists to test the hypothesis that ‘If Nature wrote our research strategies, we would do different research and/or do research for different reasons’. Participants were invited to re-write research strategies or develop a research proposal ‘as’ elements of Nature: air, water, soils, plants and animals. Our findings contribute to systems thinking by highlighting empathy as a competence or disposition that enables reciprocity as a system goal. Empathy can be a powerful meta-competence for re-organising [research] praxis by potentially reframing the purpose (deep leverage) of research and the criteria against which [research] practices are evaluated. A comparison of Nature’s strategies and proposals with existing documents shows how useful the concept of empathy can be for humans to foster more reciprocal relationships with Nature.
Shrine forests, which are forests growing within shrine areas, are one of the potential Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), but their management status is not well surveyed owing to their religious characteristics. This paper aims to elucidate the status of governance, management and conservation outcomes of shrine forests by conducting a questionnaire survey on 58 first-ranked shrines (Ichinomiya) nationwide in Japan and follow-up interviews. We identified that shrine forests have great potential as candidate OECMs except shrines already designated as protected areas. A clear governance structure for decision-making by religious corporations as landowners is a key foundation for involving societal collaborators such as local residential supporters (Ujiko), worshippers (Sukeisha) and visitors (Sanpaisha). However, we also clarified the concerns and issues for shrine forest conservation management: the lack of biodiversity monitoring and management resources and increased logging pressure from the surrounding residents especially at urban shrines. A comprehensive and systematic periodic biodiversity monitoring by shared governance to identify biodiversity values of shrine forests and incorporating biocultural meanings is urgently required for strengthening their in situ biodiversity conservation management. For shrine forests to be identified, recognized and reported as OECMs, a cooperation system connected with multi-level policies and institutions, such as regional biodiversity strategies, must be established for effective conservation outcomes. Moreover, citizens’ awareness of the biocultural values of shrine forests should be enhanced to maintain their biodiversity.
Reconnecting humans and nature, along with reversing the trend of biodiversity loss, are among the most pressing challenges of our times. Grassland restoration offers a promising pathway to halt and reverse biodiversity decline. Since local people are central to maintaining biodiversity and equally benefit from nature, transdisciplinary and social-ecological approaches to restoration are key to achieving sustainable outcomes. These approaches go beyond ecological targets by engaging local actors as stewards of restoration efforts. Understanding how people relate to grasslands is pivotal for this purpose, since these relationships are strongly shaped by individual perceptions. We therefore elicited local actor’s perceptions of grassland biodiversity and their human-nature relationships within a transdisciplinary real-world laboratory for grassland restoration in central Germany. To capture these perceptions and actively involve local actors in the transdisciplinary process, we applied the photovoice method (n = 15). Our analysis revealed three multifaceted narratives depicting the importance of landscape heterogeneity for local actors. We further disentangled the intricacies between human intervention and natural dynamics, as well as an ambiguous awareness of the current state of grassland biodiversity. Finally, we discuss how these narratives from the real-world laboratory can inform strategies to cultivate local stewardship and shape social-ecological restoration interventions at the landscape level to nurture human-nature relationships.
There is an urgent need to produce food sustainably and minimize negative environmental impacts using practices such as adaptive grazing to reverse the environmental degradation caused by industrial agriculture. Therefore, understanding the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of adaptive grazing practices is crucial for encouraging management practices that support ecosystem health and function. This case study was conducted with pasture-based beef farms in Michigan, USA. To understand adoption, we administered an online survey to develop context and inform an interview protocol. Subsequently, we conducted semi-structured follow-up interviews to gather in-depth qualitative information about how social norms, attitudes, perceptions of control and values impact: (1) farmers’ decisions to adopt adaptive management practices and (2) farmers’ overall wellbeing. Findings revealed that a combination of attitudes, perceptions of control and values significantly influenced farmers’ choices to use adaptive grazing practices. Social norms perpetuated by previous generations, attitudes about finances and stewardship, and values related to preserving traditions, played strong roles in shaping the selection of grazing management practices. Further, wellbeing was supported by spending time in nature and farmers generally reported high levels of wellbeing. Understanding these factors is essential for encouraging adoption of adaptive grazing, fostering resilience and environmental regeneration.
West Africa is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanisation which is putting pressure on food systems, including wild-sourced animal meat. Urban demand for wild meat has been identified as a key factor driving wildlife hunting, yet has been little explored in West Africa. To understand the wild meat consumption and purchasing behaviours of urban residents and the sociodemographic factors that influence these behaviours, we conducted a questionnaire survey with 2,935 people in three urban centres (Conakry, Faranah, Nz & eacute;r & eacute;kor & eacute;) in the Republic of Guinea. Bars/restaurants were important eateries for wild meat, and markets were the most utilised points of sale, however we found differences between urban centres. The greatest wild meat purchasing frequency was among residents living in the smallest urban centre (Faranah) and the lowest in the coastal capital (Conakry). The minority non-Muslim population typically purchased wild meat more frequently than the Muslim population. We found no effect of gender or age on purchasing behaviours surrounding wild meat. Our results suggest that religious identity is an important consideration for initiatives seeking to reduce demand for wild meat, where deemed ethical and necessary, and we highlight the potential importance of engaging with religious leaders and teachers. Caution should be taken when suggesting alternatives to wild meat, which likely have environmental impacts of their own. Our work contributes to improved understanding of urban wild meat consumption patterns and is relevant to policymaking on the sustainable use of wildlife, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The area of ecosystems that are anthropogenically created or heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities is increasing globally. A notable example is forest roads, which may have positive impacts on the economy but potentially adverse effects on biodiversity, for example, changes in plant species and animal behaviour. Aiming to assess the benefits and potential negative impacts of forest roads, we carried out a representative nationwide survey on societal attitudes towards forest roads and road verges. The survey included general perception of forest roads, their importance in providing non-timber forest products, recreation opportunities and amenity services, as well as their role in enhancing negative aspects of nature related to health and safety. Our research results highlighted the significance of transportation network functions of forest roads, especially of wide gravel motor roads with managed roadsides. At the same time, smaller roads covered with vegetation and without managed verges had higher scenic value. The tick-borne diseases were the most important disservices; however, the recognized disservices did not affect the stated use of forest roads. Our study also revealed gender differences, for example, greater female activity in the use of almost all ecosystem services, except hunting. Female respondents also assigned greater importance to all ecosystem disservices than male respondents. Our study explored the importance of forest roads and their verges from the perspective of people’s lifestyles. By including environmental aspects in the planning and management of forest roads, we could enhance their wider societal importance in facilitating people’s connection with nature and increasing their multifunctional use.
Social media has emerged as a prominent factor in shaping public perceptions. However, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the complex interplay between social media and human-nature relationships, including for mangrove ecosystems. We assessed how mangroves have been discussed and perceived on social media by analysing 649,495 Twitter/X posts between 2010 and 2022. Using NRC and AFINN lexicons, we found a prominence of positive sentiment toward mangroves across the 13-year period. While negative sentiment was present, it was found to be co-occurring with degradation events (e.g. large dieback of mangroves in Australia in 2016). This indicates fear and anger were typically expressed for mangroves rather than of them. Topic mapping of the 100 most frequent bi-grams per year showed persistent topic structure despite fluctuations in volume. 'Ecosystem Services' was most prominent (14% of bi-gram frequencies), consisting of recreational and ecotourism terms (e.g. fishing, kayaking, boardwalks) and by coastal protection. Conversely, climate- and carbon related terms increasingly showcased policy relevant discourse. 'Restoration' was the second most frequent topic (13%) but was overwhelmingly framed as tree planting (64% of restoration bi-grams), revealing a simplified online narrative that overlooks context appropriate, holistic approaches. 'Threats' (11%) consists of tweets around widely covered events and includes sea level rise, pollution, aquaculture expansion, and general loss/destruction terms. Notably absent from top bi-grams were many provisioning and cultural services, as well as mangroves being social-ecological systems, highlighting perception gaps. Our findings demonstrate social media data can cost-effectively identify perception gaps and help inform (targeted) awareness campaigns.
We explore relations between Indigenous and the Western conceptualisation of flows of services from nature to people, and specifically, flow of ecosystem services as per SEEA-EA accounting framework developed and promoted by the United Nations. This case study was a partnership with the Nywaigi Traditional Owners from North Queensland Australia and was conducted as a series of workshops with the Nywaigi representatives. We present Nywaigi conceptualisation of the ecosystem services (and disservices) linked to Mungalla Station on their Country. Starting from the Western point of view, we introduce 'crosswalk' from SEEA-EA ecosystem services to Nywaigi conceptualisation; and starting from Nywaigi perspective, 'mental map' that links Nywaigi wellbeing to SEEA-EA framework. Our findings indicate that some of the concepts are very similar between First Nation and SEEA-EA, and confirm importance to Nywaigi Traditional Owners of circular and interconnected conceptualisation of the nature-people system and of longer conceptualisation of time. Suggestions on further modifications to conceptualisations of nature-people-nature system are presented, and the temporal scale of expected changes is discussed. Specifically, we discuss concepts of flows of services from nature to nature; category of disservices - explicit recognition that ecosystem flows can be beneficial but also detrimental for human wellbeing, both physical and mental/spiritual; and important role of outside influences (capitals other than natural capital) in determining the actual use of what ecosystem services might be supplying. Our findings present empirical evidence of alternative conceptualisations that emphasise continually unfolding processes and relations.
Woody encroachment is a growing concern in dryland regions, threatening grassland ecosystems and generating complex social-ecological and management challenges. In the Argentine Dry Chaco, this process is particularly pronounced in paleochannel systems, which are ancient riverbeds historically covered by native grasses. Using a multilevel approach combining structural equation models and semi-structured interviews with small-scale campesino producers, we explored how livestock densities (cattle, goats, sheep), fire-use (frequency and return interval), aridity, and protection status influence vegetation cover, and which grassland recovery strategies are suggested by campesinos. We found that aridity was negatively associated with grass cover. At the landscape level, fire frequency is critical for maintaining grasslands. In contrast, at the local level, the role of fire varied with protection status: in protected areas, longer fire return intervals and extensive grazing maintained a mosaic of woodlands and grasslands, whereas in non-protected areas, frequent burning was required to control woody cover driven by fencing and higher livestock densities. Goat density had a strong negative effect on grasslands and a positive association with woodlands, reinforcing feedback on degradation under intensive grazing. Campesino producers recognized fire as a crucial tool for controlling woody encroachment, emphasizing knowledge loss and regulatory challenges. Local knowledge also revealed concerns about water scarcity and fencing, which limits livestock efficiency and promotes woody encroachment. Our findings emphasize that the locally adapted use of fire and grazing, informed by traditional knowledge of campesinos and local partners, is essential for controlling woody encroachment and restoring multifunctional grassland landscapes.
Understanding the full spectrum of human-sea relationships is essential for inclusive and effective marine management and conservation. While Mediterranean marine research has traditionally emphasized ecological and economic dimensions, cultural and relational aspects remain underexplored. This systematic review analyzes 117 peer-reviewed studies to examine how human-sea relationships have been conceptualized and operationalized in the Mediterranean using the frameworks of Human-Nature Connectedness (HNC) and Relational Values (RVs). Findings reveal strong biases toward quantitative and instrumental approaches and limited integration of cultural perspectives in marine and coastal management plans. Relational values such as recreation, identity, and stewardship were common, while emotional, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions remain rare. Geographic and representational disparities persist, with research concentrated in the Western Mediterranean and often overlooking the experiences of minority and less visible communities. In light of these findings, the review highlights the need for more interdisciplinary, context-sensitive research approaches and stronger integration of diverse cultural and relational values into marine conservation and governance frameworks.
A deeper understanding of human-nature reciprocity is required for transformative change to safeguard biodiversity. In the face of widespread loss of farmland biodiversity and ecosystem services, evidence on how farm trees provide multiple benefits to people, and how the latter take care of the trees, can provide a nuanced example of such relationships, and illustrate how reciprocal relations can foster biocultural diversity in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we applied the reciprocity framework to appraise reciprocal relations between farmers and three farm tree species - toddy palm, jujube and thanakha - in Myanmar's Central Dry Zone. We appraised the livelihood benefits of farm trees and farmers' stewardship actions through reciprocity - by interviewing 47 farmers with rich experience and knowledge about the selected species. Our findings emphasize the role of relational values and livelihood benefits in enhancing reciprocity and highlight the importance of stewardship actions for conserving biocultural diversity. We further identify potential strategies to overcome barriers to sustaining reciprocity and argue that governmental and political interventions - capacity building of farmers, promoting livelihood benefits and cultural importance - in farm tree stewardship are needed to build more resilience in biocultural diversity and enhance the reciprocal relations of people and farm trees. Our study advances the literature on reciprocity and biocultural conservation, with nuanced insights into how reciprocity between humans and farm trees can foster transformative change in central Myanmar, and thus holds potential to inform the conservation of biocultural diversity in similar dryland food-production landscapes.
This study examines the concept of environmental relational values (RVs) by exploring the case of the human-nature relationships of birdwatchers. Because RVs are context-sensitive, they are difficult to capture quantitatively. This research uses a statistical analysis of a micronarrative-based SenseMaker (R) survey to identify some of the main constituents of birdwatchers' RVs. Besides context-sensitivity, a give-and-take between the valuer and the valued objects is a characteristic feature of RVs, also called bidirectionality. Our results show that the main sources of benefit in birdwatching (take for the birdwatchers) are the 'pleasure' and 'meaning' which emerge from the experiences described in the survey. The main contributions (give) of birdwatchers in the human-nature relationships are 'attention' and 'respect'. We found that the benefits for and contributions of the birdwatchers (the takes and gives constituting RVs' 'bidirectionality') combine in four distinguishable pairs: 'pleasure' and 'attention', 'meaning' and 'respect', 'gains' and 'attention', 'meaning' and 'care'. Statistical tests show that these relational pairs are associated with different conceptions of the human place in nature ('guest in', 'part of' or 'partner with' nature). Based on these results we distinguish between three different types of 'human-nature engagements' (HNE), considering the distinct understandings of nature and RVs they contain. This study quantitatively describes the bidirectionality for the characterisation of RVs and shows that questions relating to a specific personal experience can be used for a quantitative analysis of context-sensitive values. This study establishes the suitability of a micronarrative-based survey for studying environmental RVs. KEY POLICY HIGHLIGHTS Give-and-take: The attitudes of attention, respect or care that we give to nature are systematically associated with distinct perceived benefits and roles within nature. Recognising these links can help design policies and planning processes that strengthen sustainable human-nature relationships. Contextuality: Considering the context is essential for understanding relational values. Such an understanding is crucial for strategies that aim to strengthen them and thereby promote bottom-up shifts toward sustainability. Systematisation: Micronarrative-based surveys can help planners capture diverse com-munity perspectives on human-nature relationships and identify distinct relational values. This can inform targeted interventions by ensuring diverse values are acknowledged in decision-making.
