Perspectives on Citizen Engagement for the EU Post-2020 Biodiversity Strategy: An Empirical Study

The current European Union biodiversity strategy is failing to reach its targets aimed at halting biodiversity loss by 2020, and eyes are already set at the post-2020 strategy. The European Commission is encouraging the active role of citizens in achieving policy objectives in the coming years. In t...

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Published inSustainability Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 1532
Main Authors Varumo, Liisa, Yaneva, Rositsa, Koppel, Tarmo, Koskela, Iida-Maria, Garcia, Mari Carmen, Sozzo, Sara, Morello, Eugenio, Dictor, Marie-Christine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.02.2020
MDPI
Subjects
Biodiversity
Citizen participation
Citizenship
Civil society
Climate change
Collaboration
Communication
Community
Cooperation
Decision making
Earth Sciences
Ecosystems
Environmental degradation
Environmental impact
Environmental management
Knowledge
Perceptions
Priorities
Science
Sciences of the Universe
Stakeholders
Strategy
Sustainability
Transnationalism
Workshops
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Summary:The current European Union biodiversity strategy is failing to reach its targets aimed at halting biodiversity loss by 2020, and eyes are already set at the post-2020 strategy. The European Commission is encouraging the active role of citizens in achieving policy objectives in the coming years. In this paper, we explore ways citizens discuss their priorities regarding biodiversity and abilities to influence environmental problems at individual, collective and policy levels. We also examine how the citizen discussions resonate with scientific environmental priorities and how researchers see the role of citizens in policy processes and harmonising citizen and scientific knowledge. To pursue the citizen voices, an expert working group acting as knowledge brokers, facilitated a series of citizen workshops in seven European locations and a reflective researcher workshop in Belgium. Based on the results, participants identified many concrete and value-related measures to stop environmental degradation. The environmental priorities differed between citizens and scientists, but not irreconcilably; rather, they complemented one another. Both groups stressed environmentally minded attitudes in individuals and policy. Displaying diversity of perspectives was regarded as positive and adding legitimacy. Improving methods for balanced encounters among science and society is central for participation to become more than rhetoric in the EU.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su12041532