Who gets to imagine transformative change? Participation and representation in biodiversity assessments

Abstract

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has been mandated to assess transformative change in order to identify pathways for achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. Yet, the topic of transformative change raises significant new challenges for biodiversity assessments because it combines scientifically plausible projections about the drivers and trends of biodiversity loss with normative and collective visions of a sustainable world for nature and people. In this commentary, we argue that assessments of visions of a sustainable world should also ask ‘whose values and visions count?’ because different values and visions influence which voices and perspectives are considered relevant for generating scientific knowledge for transformative change. In particular, we argue that this situation requires rethinking modes of participation and co-production in assessments of transformative change: from consulting different groups as potential ‘users’ of assessments to seeing how visions of a sustainable world are represented through the selection of evidence and actors. In other words, assessments need to be less concerned about the inclusion and exclusion of actors, and more concerned about how these actors bring the perspectives of others with them.