Applying participatory, integrated, and biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning across realms: insights from three European social-ecological systems

Sylvaine Giakoumi , Jutta Beher, Silvia Carvalho, Martin Jung , Stelios Katsanevakis Katsanevakis, Katherine Yates, Astrid Zabel, Valentini Stamatiadou, Maria Vigo, Katherine Amorim, Miguel Canibe Iglesias, Andre Lima, Vasiliki Markantonatou, Paula Novo, Dimitra Petza, Arthur Sanguet, Susanne Tanner, Virgilio Hermoso

Over the past two decades, a large body of knowledge on decision-support frameworks has evolved facilitating decision makers to plan for reaching biodiversity goals articulated in international policy agreements. Here, we adapted a structured decision making framework to operationalize Participatory, Integrated, and Biodiversity-Inclusive Spatial Planning (PI-BISP), providing a practical pathway for implementing Target 1 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework while accounting for ecological processes across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine realms. Building on previous efforts, the framework provides guidance for incorporating multiple sectoral objectives, climate change, and other dynamic stressors (e.g., land- and sea-use change and biological invasions) into the design of conservation areas across realms. We tested the framework in three European case studies representing diverse socio-ecological contexts, geographic scales, and combinations of realms. Across all case studies, the framework consistently identified conservation priorities, critical elements of the problem context, and promising management opportunities that became apparent only when cross-realm interactions, future environmental change, and multiple sectoral objectives were considered simultaneously. The results demonstrate the value of an operational and adaptable framework for PI-BISP in complex social-ecological systems, while highlighting challenges related to data availability, governance complexity, and sustained stakeholder engagement. Beyond providing a transferable methodological foundation for PI-BISP, the implementation of the framework also served as a platform for fostering collaboration and mutual learning among scientists and practitioners. Ultimately, the framework’s applicability and effectiveness will depend on sustained political commitment, adequate resources, and the capacity to foster collaboration across sectors, scales, and national borders.