Context

Biodiversity loss is driven by human behaviour, with key factors including changes in land and sea use, exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasive species. However, there is limited focus, both at the JRC and in academia, on leveraging behavioural interventions and systems to mitigate biodiversity loss or promote restoration. The need to explore what motivates care for biodiversity, including the role of Behavioural Insights (BI), has been identified as a key research gap, highlighted in the ongoing IPBES Transformative Change assessment . Additionally, the recent enforcement of the Nature Restoration Law calls for a better understanding of the behaviours of various groups, such as citizens, farmers, fishermen, and businesses, to address biodiversity loss.

Goals

This project aims to create a platform for open dialogue between behavioural scientists, natural scientists, and EU policymakers to explore behavioural research opportunities and integrate BI into biodiversity policymaking. Aligning the behavioural research agenda with the policy priorities of relevant DGs will lay the foundation for providing human behaviour evidence to support biodiversity policy.

Methods

A literature review of behavioural science applied to biodiversity and an analysis of EU media discourse will feed into a DELPHI survey, assessing convergence between behavioural and natural scientists on research priorities. These findings will inform a final workshop with policymakers and scientists.

Expected outcomes

The project will produce a JRC report for each workstream, a final report synthesising all findings, and a policy brief highlighting key research priorities aligned with policy needs.