The current systemic crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss demands science, social trust, shared understanding, and engagement. A significant driver is the fragmented and inconsistent understanding of biodiversity in Europe, shaped by debates over nature restoration and plural values.
Biodiversity conversation, however, is on the verge of change, as the 1st September 2026 marks the start of the new Horizon Europe-funded (the EU’s key funding programme) project: BIOLOGUE (UNDERSTANDING BIODIVERSITY PERCEPTIONS FOR INCLUSIVE DIALOGUES AND COMMUNICATION ON BIODIVERSITY, POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT). Led by Wageningen University, the project’s consortium consists of 10 partners from 8 EU countries (the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Belgium, and Bulgaria).
Late this September (23-25 September 2026), the consortium met in Bonn, Germany, for BIOLOGUE’s kick-off meeting, hosted by the European Forest Institute (EFI). There, all partners presented their plans for work, core objectives and end goals. Consortium partners also discussed future collaboration with each other and laid the foundation for the first steps towards transforming biodiversity conversation between stakeholders, experts and society.
BIOLOGUE aims to shift the discussion and communication of climate change and the biodiversity crisis across European stakeholders, policymakers, and society. The project is dedicated to providing policymakers with novel tools and evidence to help them navigate differences and build lasting solutions. During its course, BIOLOGUE will work towards taking important steps through innovative actions, amongst which:
EU-wide surveys to help policymakers navigate and propose long-lasting solutions;
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An AI-driven analysis of online texts and images to identify actor clusters, value conflicts, and chances for constructive dialogue and cooperation in biodiversity conservation;
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A wide stakeholder engagement platform (called Dialogue Co-Lab), aimed at bridging institutional silos and fostering mutual learning between actors that are often disconnected;
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Co-designing, testing and innovative online and offline communication in biodiversity through 6 Communication Pilots and 30 Inspirational Case Studies.
The project’s core online legacy will include the first European Biodiversity Barometer (compiling findings on biodiversity perceptions) and a Biodiversity Communication Toolbox (repository of best practices in stakeholder engagement and communication). These approaches will help European policymakers better understand societal views on biodiversity and provide tools for inclusive decision-making. They will also provide society with a better understanding of the biodiversity crisis and empower diverse groups.
Through its systematic and innovative approaches, BIOLOGUE will provide comprehensive knowledge on biodiversity perceptions, introduce new communication approaches and apply inclusive science-policy-society-media dialogues, and ensure the implementation of transformed and strengthened inclusive biodiversity policies.
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BIOLOGUE receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.101287518. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the EU nor the European Research Executive Agency (REA) can be held responsible for them.