Brussels, 9 of June, 2025
The two-day event, hosted in Brussels and online, brought together over 100 stakeholders in person and more than 60 connected online. The organisation featured a variety of formats—including a final conference, an interactive workshop, and a high-level policy dialogue—designed to reflect on how biodiversity can be better integrated into spatial and sectoral planning systems.
BioValue, a Horizon Europe project launched in 2022, has been at the forefront of exploring how biodiversity can be better integrated into spatial planning systems. The final conference showcased the project’s main recommendations, tested tools, and local implementation insights from its three Arenas for Transformation: Trento (Italy), Mafra (Portugal), and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany).
Rather than showcasing results in isolation, BioValue used this opportunity to open a collective conversation about the systemic shifts needed to make biodiversity planning more inclusive, just, and effective. The insights emerging across sessions point to a shared understanding: transformative change must go beyond technical tools—it requires a new mindset, new governance models, and a redefinition of value itself.
Day 1 – Final Conference and Interactive Workshop
The morning session, opened by Emanuela De Menna (DG R&I) and project coordinator Maria Rosário Partidario, featured results and reflections from the BioValue team and its local partners. Maria set the tone by stating:
“Transformative change for biodiversity needs to be transformative change of everything that sets the context for biodiversity. We should look to a systems approach, connecting elements and sectors. A positive reading of biodiversity is very important—policy fragmentation is one of the biggest barriers.”
This was followed by presentations of key recommendations on planning tools and governance models by researchers from UFZ, AAU, and UniTrento, and real-world feedback from the field by representatives from the three Arenas for Transformation.
In the afternoon, an interactive workshop engaged participants in discussing just and transformative approaches to biodiversity in spatial and sectoral planning. Flashcards summarizing BioValue’s findings helped spark conversation in three working groups focused on justice, enabling conditions, and missing links. Key recommendations highlighted the need to:
- Align biodiversity policy with lived realities
- Improve inter-sectoral and inter-level coordination
- Develop context-sensitive definitions of biodiversity and justice
Day 2 – Policy Dialogue
The second day featured a high-level panel moderated by Maria Partidario on how to mainstream biodiversity into policymaking at local and regional levels. Notable contributions came from Humberto Rosa (DG ENV), who emphasized:
“We can only protect and mainstream biodiversity through enlightened human interest—its role for quality of life, food security, well-being, resilience, and so much more.”
He also reminded participants that biodiversity cannot remain a secondary concern in policy, and that hope and restoration should be central to future narratives:
“Political agendas can’t be built on negative messages alone, the positive side of hope is crucial—and restoration is for that. The perception of restoration as a restriction must shift, it is rather to put back ecosystem services that we miss. We need to be pragmatic: some sectors may dislike the word, so let’s rather build on commonalities and win-win approaches.”
This session concluded with a strong call for co-design, data innovation, and systems thinking to close the gap between policy ambition and local implementation.
With this event, BioValue not only marked the conclusion of its own research journey but also contributed actively to a growing ecosystem of transformative biodiversity action in Europe, reinforcing the project’s long-term legacy through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and policy influence.
Watch the recording of BioValue final event and get some insights into the work done during these years:
Photo credits: Rosa Castañeda, European Forest Institute
