Reconciling fragmented and contested landscapes – RECONNECT

RECONNECT focuses on the connections and, in particular, the disconnect of biodiversity conservation from other aspects of contemporary landscapes and societies. Fragmentation, contestation, and disconnection can be institutional, ecological, and social. This manifests in interrupted ecological flows through habitat networks, siloed sectoral planning, and plural lifestyles and values - leading to tensions between conservation, equity, and production goals, and to clashing governance priorities and land-use practices. We will collaborate with stakeholders to generate in-depth knowledge about ways to manage institutional, ecological, and social boundaries in four case sites. The sites, located in France, Germany, South Africa, and Sweden each extend across urban to rural gradients with different types of conservation governance of protected areas and surrounding landscapes.

The inter- and transdisciplinary ‘reconnection’ approach will be achieved by 1) developing a coherent set of tools and processes for systematically identifying and assessing the interconnections between ecosystems, community values, and diverse institutional arrangements; and 2) developing governance models and practices for surfacing and managing tensions and for (re-)connecting people and ecosystems.

Social-ecological systems- and governance researchers in Work Package (WP)1 will assess the social-ecological context to biodiversity protection and identify integrated governance options for the delivery of effective conservation measures. Conservation biologists and functional ecologists in WP2 draw on skills in biodiversity and ecosystem service modelling to quantify multiple dimensions of functional connectivity. In WP3, landscape ecologists and geographers explore values of nature and identify synergies and divisions for reconnection. In WP4, institutional analysis and knowledge co-creation experts seek to assess different arenas for collaboration and conflict management. In WP5, experts in sustainability science and transdisciplinary deliberation facilitate cross examination of cases and WP outcomes. Conservation policy and communication specialists in WP6 will support the policy translation, and communicate and disseminate results through relevant communication platforms, such as PANORAMA and the EU Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity.

Together, the WPs will feed cross-sectoral governance and citizen involvement into the implementation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. We add value by providing novel methods and cross-site comparative evidence for conservation strategies that can help combine or accommodate multiple values in parallel, in support of biodiversity conservation, well-being, and equity outcomes. Employing a strongly transdisciplinary approach, RECONNECT builds upon social-ecological systems analyses developed in previous collaborative initiatives (e.g. ENABLE, ENVISION, IPBES Values Assessment).