Aim and objectives Expected results Work packages Methodology Partners Project timetable Project organisation

The general aim of BESAFE is to improve our understanding of the alternative ways in which concepts for the ‘value of biodiversity’ can be used to improve biodiversity policy making and governance at local, national and European to global scales. In accordance with the call requirements, BESAFE will thereto investigate and analyse the use and effectiveness of various types of arguments for biodiversity protection under varying circumstances. The general objective of BESAFE is to help to innovate and improve biodiversity protection by providing a framework that summarises the observed and potential effectiveness of the alternative ways to argue the case for biodiversity protection, and to make this framework easily accessible and usable through a publicly accessible database and associated toolkit. This system can then be used to convincingly demonstrate the value of biodiversity to policy makers and will also provide them with guidance on the use and effectiveness of the various arguments in a range of situations.

 

This general aim and objective are translated into a number of practical objectives:

1. to compile currently used arguments in a framework according to type, ecological, geographical, socioeconomic and institutional context and other factors relevant to their effectiveness.

2. to investigate the potential and observed effectiveness of alternative ecological, economic and social arguments in a range of situations.

3. to analyse how policies, protection measures and value perceptions particular to one scale affect those on other scales and what this implies for the transferability and scalability of values between scales and situations.

4. to explore how awareness of the value of ecosystem services relates to people’s valuation of biodiversity.

5. to develop, with our stakeholders, a publically accessible database and associated toolkit to guide the use and effectiveness of the various arguments in specific situations and provide recommendations on their suitability for promoting biodiversity protection on different spatial and temporal scales.

6. to engage directly with stakeholders throughout the project through workshops, brochures, web based applications, public meetings, publications in popular and policy relevant media and scientific papers.