Deliverable No: D2.1 Report on the selection of case studies The general aim of the BESAFE project is to investigate which arguments are the most effective in conserving biodiversity in different contexts. This report outlines the selection process of the case studies which will be used to answer the main research questions of the project. The paper reports the particular steps of the process, describes the relevant criteria for selection and provides the most essential information about each of the chosen case studies. The final set of 12 case studies represents a wide variety of ecological, social-economic and political contexts, as well as a diversity of different governance levels. Moreover, the cases address several governance levels and thus enable analysis of the links and transferability between the levels. In addition, two comparative studies have been chosen to enable a European level comparison between different countries.