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A bulletin describing updates on research from within the Biodiversity Topic from the Scottish Government's Strategic Research Programme 2022-2027

Climate change is leading to the transformations in uses of land in Europe, at variable rates and types of change. Policies for mitigating climate change are directing changes in land use towards renewable energy generation, woodland expansion, management of natural capital through restoring peatlands and carbon rich soils, and changes in agricultural and land systems, collectively contributing to visions for rural areas of a wellbeing economy. However, spatial planning and suitable governance structures are required to ensure these mitigation actions require to be in places where the greatest impacts on mitigating climate change can be realised (e.g. where energy resource is significant; construction of renewable energy does not release more carbon than it could offset; planting woodland does not release more carbon than it can sequester; agricultural production systems do not increase demand on transporting water). However, such actions must ensure benefits (economic, social, environmental) remain higher than their respective costs. more...

Tackling climate change and striving for environmental sustainability cross almost all aspects of the lives of citizens, and over multiple generations as individuals take on different responsibilities through their life course. The transitions required to achieve net zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 requires all citizens to be agents of change, including rural citizens. SHERPA Position Paper on Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability aims tocontributesto the process of making Europe - and rural areas within the European continent- climate neutral.Through a concerted discussion of different Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MAPs), SHERPA gathered evidence of the types of transformational changes which are necessary to transition in an effective and just manner to climate neutrality by 2050. more...

In Scotland, public attitudes are continuing to show increased recognition of the level of urgency of tackling climate change, and indications of some support for particular types of interventions and changes in behaviour, which are required. Scotland has natural and socio-economic opportunities with significant potential to follow pathways towards net zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2045.Priorities for climate mitigation have focused on investing in natural, social and economic capital. The long-term nature of the aim, but shorter and immediate term timescales of actions necessitates a diverse range of actions across sectors and communities, with a coherent set of policies (e.g. planning, land use), and a systems perspective to understand the impacts and dependencies of actions on one dimension on another. There is a need to continue to improve the quality of scientific evidence between the actions to mitigate climate change and the reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases, and their impact on achieving the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. &nbsp more...

The Multi-actor Platforms have demonstrable benefits of joint working to tackle societal challenges, with adding value of strengthening networks between actors. This policy brief of the H2020 UNISECO project provides recommendations for improving the adoption of Multi-Actor Platforms. This Policy Brief is one of a set produced by the H2020 UNISECO project. Others are accessible on the Zenodo repository under the UNISECO Community. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

The purpose of this Brief is to inform good practice for the development and activities that seek to include actors from across society, science and policy to inform research and dissemination activities. The guidance is at a high level in order to avoid ‘micro-management’ of an activity, thereby leaving space for account to be taken of the particularities and local context of activities, and the types of participants. The guidance for the transdisciplinary Multi-Actor Approach contributes to comparability and robustness of implementation across engagement activities, with an underpinning set of common aims which include: i) the identification and interpretation of societal expectations using participatory processes with a range of actors (including end users); ii) the integration of knowledges across actors in the process of solution development for transitions to agroecological farming systems and in sustainability assessments; iii) guiding the efficient planning and implementation of engagement in line with the ethical and regulatory requirements (e.g. General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR); and iv) recognising time and labour requirements of engagements in Multi-Actor Platforms. This methodological brief is one of a set produced by the H2020 UNISECO project. Others are accessible on the Zenodo repository under the UNISECO Community. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

Biodiversity is a cornerstone of human health and well-being. However, while evidence of the contributions of nature to human health is rapidly building, research into how biodiversity relates to human health remains limited in important respects. In particular, a better mechanistic understanding of the range of pathways through which biodiversity can influence human health is needed. These pathways relate to both psychological and social processes as well as biophysical processes. Building on evidence from across the natural, social and health sciences, we present a conceptual framework organizing the pathways linking biodiversity to human health. Four domains of pathways—both beneficial as well as harmful—link biodiversity with human health: (i) reducing harm (e.g. provision of medicines, decreasing exposure to air and noise pollution); (ii) restoring capacities (e.g. attention restoration, stress reduction); (iii) building capacities (e.g. promoting physical activity, transcendent experiences); and (iv) causing harm (e.g. dangerous wildlife, zoonotic diseases, allergens). We discuss how to test components of the biodiversity-health framework with available analytical approaches and existing datasets. In a world with accelerating declines in biodiversity, profound land-use change, and an increase in non-communicable and zoonotic diseases globally, greater understanding of these pathways can reinforce biodiversity conservation as a strategy for the promotion of health for both people and nature. We conclude by identifying research avenues and recommendations for policy and practice to foster biodiversity-focused public health actions. more...

This report provides methodological briefs that provide short, step-by-step, guidance and lessons learnt on applying key methods used in the H2020 UNISECO project. The briefs are available in electronic form and can be accessed via the Agro-ecological Knowledge Hub as a part of information content for the different target audiences. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

The Multi-actor Platforms have demonstrable benefits of joint working to tackle societal challenges, with adding value of strengthening networks between actors. This policy brief of the H2020 UNISECO project provides recommendations for improving the adoption of Multi-Actor Platforms. This Policy Brief is one of a set produced by the H2020 UNISECO project. Others are accessible on the Zenodo repository under the UNISECO Community. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

The overall objective of this report is to summarise the analysis of barriers and drivers hindering or facilitating the implementation of agro-ecological practices, and the strategies identified that address the barriers and drivers of agro-ecological transitions in the context of the 15 UNISECO case studies. The co-construction of the transition strategies with the local actors aims to propose changes in the governance of the farming system to address the key barriers and drivers of implementing the practices, and to identify market and policy incentives that are expected to support an agro-ecological transition. Particular attention is paid on how cooperation between actors can help to address the key drivers and barriers. Key aspects for successful agro-ecological transitions are improved knowledge on the benefits of agro-ecological practices and economic opportunities, the importance of education, training and life-long learning, and mature social capital and strengthened collaborative action and collective institutions in agro-ecological value chains. This would enable higher prices to be charged for agro-ecological products and utilise the potential of agro-ecological farming to be economically viable. Such processes need to be supported by policy and the public sector, to address issues of economic exploitation and power relations as well as problems of over-consumption and food waste in food chains, with implications for public health, social justice and food security. The outcome of the co-construction of the strategies has informed: i) the assessment of trade-offs at farm level (Albanito et al., 2021, Deliverable D3.5) by providing information on the farm management changes and agro-ecological practices that are seen as effective and acceptable; ii) the multi-criteria assessment of policy instruments and incentives (Galioto et al., 2021, Deliverable D5.4) by identifying innovative market and policy incentives that are suitable to promote agro-ecological transition; and iii) the lessons learnt for agro-ecological transitions reflecting the different local and place-based context of the story maps from each case study (Landert et al., 2021, Deliverable D3.6). This document is Deliverable D3.4 in Work package “Assessment at farm level” of the EU Horizon 2020 project UNISECO. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project on: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

The purpose of this Brief is to inform good practice for the development and activities that seek to include actors from across society, science and policy to inform research and dissemination activities. The guidance is at a high level in order to avoid ‘micro-management’ of an activity, thereby leaving space for account to be taken of the particularities and local context of activities, and the types of participants. The guidance for the transdisciplinary Multi-Actor Approach contributes to comparability and robustness of implementation across engagement activities, with an underpinning set of common aims which include: i) the identification and interpretation of societal expectations using participatory processes with a range of actors (including end users); ii) the integration of knowledges across actors in the process of solution development for transitions to agroecological farming systems and in sustainability assessments; iii) guiding the efficient planning and implementation of engagement in line with the ethical and regulatory requirements (e.g. General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR); and iv) recognising time and labour requirements of engagements in Multi-Actor Platforms. This methodological brief is one of a set produced by the H2020 UNISECO project. Others are accessible on the Zenodo repository under the UNISECO Community. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

The purpose of this Brief is to inform good practice for the development and activities that seek to include actors from across society, science and policy to inform research and dissemination activities. The guidance is at a high level in order to avoid ‘micro-management’ of an activity, thereby leaving space for account to be taken of the particularities and local context of activities, and the types of participants. The guidance for the transdisciplinary Multi-Actor Approach contributes to comparability and robustness of implementation across engagement activities, with an underpinning set of common aims which include: i) the identification and interpretation of societal expectations using participatory processes with a range of actors (including end users); ii) the integration of knowledges across actors in the process of solution development for transitions to agroecological farming systems and in sustainability assessments; iii) guiding the efficient planning and implementation of engagement in line with the ethical and regulatory requirements (e.g. General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR); and iv) recognising time and labour requirements of engagements in Multi-Actor Platforms. This methodological brief is one of a set produced by the H2020 UNISECO project. Others are accessible on the Zenodo repository under the UNISECO Community. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

The overall objective of this report is to summarise the analysis of barriers and drivers hindering or facilitating the implementation of agro-ecological practices, and the strategies identified that address the barriers and drivers of agro-ecological transitions in the context of the 15 UNISECO case studies. The co-construction of the transition strategies with the local actors aims to propose changes in the governance of the farming system to address the key barriers and drivers of implementing the practices, and to identify market and policy incentives that are expected to support an agro-ecological transition. Particular attention is paid on how cooperation between actors can help to address the key drivers and barriers. Key aspects for successful agro-ecological transitions are improved knowledge on the benefits of agro-ecological practices and economic opportunities, the importance of education, training and life-long learning, and mature social capital and strengthened collaborative action and collective institutions in agro-ecological value chains. This would enable higher prices to be charged for agro-ecological products and utilise the potential of agro-ecological farming to be economically viable. Such processes need to be supported by policy and the public sector, to address issues of economic exploitation and power relations as well as problems of over-consumption and food waste in food chains, with implications for public health, social justice and food security. The outcome of the co-construction of the strategies has informed: i) the assessment of trade-offs at farm level (Albanito et al., 2021, Deliverable D3.5) by providing information on the farm management changes and agro-ecological practices that are seen as effective and acceptable; ii) the multi-criteria assessment of policy instruments and incentives (Galioto et al., 2021, Deliverable D5.4) by identifying innovative market and policy incentives that are suitable to promote agro-ecological transition; and iii) the lessons learnt for agro-ecological transitions reflecting the different local and place-based context of the story maps from each case study (Landert et al., 2021, Deliverable D3.6). This document is Deliverable D3.4 in Work package “Assessment at farm level” of the EU Horizon 2020 project UNISECO. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project on: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...

This report provides methodological briefs that provide short, step-by-step, guidance and lessons learnt on applying key methods used in the H2020 UNISECO project. The briefs are available in electronic form and can be accessed via the Agro-ecological Knowledge Hub as a part of information content for the different target audiences. UNISECO is a European research project aiming to develop innovative approaches to enhance the understanding of socio-economic and policy drivers and barriers for further development and implementation of agro-ecological practices in EU farming systems. Learn more about the project: https://uniseco-project.eu/ This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773901. This publication reflects only the authors' view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. more...