Justice and equity in biodiversity transformation

Science-Policy Forum on Biodiversity and Transformative Change: Science-Policy Pathways for Europe

On 21 April 2026, Biodiversa+ will host its Science-Policy Forum on Biodiversity and Transformative Change: Science-Policy Pathways for Europe. The forum will bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to explore how transformative change can move from concept to implementation in support of biodiversity across Europe and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).

Agenda

13:00 – 13:15  Opening & welcome words, by Bruno Teixeira (President of the Governing Board of FRCT) & Magnus Tannerfeldt (co-chair of Biodiversa+, FORMAS)

13:15 – 13:30  Keynote – Conceptualisation of transformative change: Insights from the IPBES assessment, by Karen O’Brien (co-chair of the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, Co-Founder of cCHANGE, Zennstrom Visiting Professor of Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University)

13:30 – 14:20

  • How can transformative change levers be used to implement the KM-GBF?, by Camille Guiball (CBD Scientific Officer, FRB)
  • Justice and equity in biodiversity transformation: From principles to practices, by Amanda Loeffen (CEO, Human Right 2 Water)
  • Pathways for a Nexus Approach to Transformative Change: Linking Biodiversity, Climate, Water, Food and Health, by Paula Harrison (Principal Natural Capital Scientist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
  • Transforming economic and financial systems for biodiversity, by Cengiz Akandil (Business and Biodiversity Expert in IPBES, University of Zurich)

14:20 – 14:30  Q&A

14:30 – 15:00  Break

15:00 – 15:20  Leveraging EU policy instruments for transformative change for biodiversity?, by Bastian Bertzky (Policy Officer, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission) & Bénédicte Blaudeau (Policy Officer, DG Environment, European Commission)

15:20 – 16:05  Panel Discussion 1 | Navigating tensions in biodiversity transformation: Trade-offs, backlash and social justice, with Cengiz Akandil (University of Zurich), Isabel Mesquita (Global Landscapes Forum) & Mariana Walter (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals)

  • Socio-economic tensions between biodiversity goals and sectors like bioeconomy, agriculture, forestry and energy
  • Social justice dimensions, including how transformative policies may affect local communities, rural livelihoods or Indigenous rights
  • Strategies for conflict-sensitive governance, inclusive dialogue and co-creation of solutions
  • The role of research, policy and civil society in anticipating and mitigating these tensions

16:05 – 16:50  Panel Discussion 2 | Prospects from the BiodivTransform projects: Research frontiers in biodiversity and transformative change, with Annette Breckwoldt (SKETCH), Lol Dahlet (SKETCH), David Goldsborough (ATTITUDE), Tilman Hertz (LEVER) & Maja Schlüter (MultiDiv)

  • Conceptual and methodological advances in understanding transformative change
  • Best practices for implementing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to understand transformative change
  • Integration of pluralistic values, Indigenous knowledge, and justice frameworks
  • Case studies demonstrating how research can influence policy or practice

16:50 – 17:00  Concluding words, by Osman Tikansak (FORMAS)