During the 2025 Alternet Conference, 13-16, May, participants across multiple sessions reflected on two critical questions: (a) What actions are essential to achieve transformative change for biodiversity?; and (b) What are the main barriers preventing it?
The answers point to a clear call for change that is systemic, inclusive, and grounded in practice. Key actions identified include integrating Nature-based Solutions (NBS) across sectors, mainstreaming biodiversity across governance, and strengthening transdisciplinary approaches. The role of Science-Policy-Society Interfaces (SPSIs) was emphasized as central for bridging knowledge and action – particularly through collaboration, policy entrepreneurship and the development of national-level strategies and plans, such as National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), to guide transformative biodiversity efforts.
Participants also stressed the importance of community engagement, relational trust, and innovative education – including artistic research methods, immersive learning formats, and intergenerational dialogue. Effective monitoring and Citizen Science – that moves beyond data collection to active participation—were also seen as essential for evidence-based decision-making.
However, the road to transformative change remains complex. Key barriers that were noted included incoherent policies, fragmented governance, and short-term political and research cycles. Many also pointed to insufficient funding, limited inclusion of diverse knowledge systems, such as Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK), and outdated educational practices. Challenges in biodiversity data — such as gaps, lack of coordination, and unsynchronized monitoring-further hamper progress. Finally, trust deficits between knowledge providers and communities, and the underutilization of participatory knowledge contributions, such as citizen science, which is often limited to data collection rather than engaging participants as active co-creators, emerged as key societal barriers to deeper change.
These reflections give us insight and direction for advancing integrated, evidence-informed, and inclusive biodiversity governance. With these key takeaway messages, we come away from the Alternet Conference 2025 better equipped to achieve transformative change for biodiversity.
