Blog: The social acceptance of the green transition requires negotiated problem solving alongside the nature value market
The nature value market and biodiversity offsetting are currently widely discussed topics. Also in Akordi we have been working to find mutually acceptable and sustainable solutions to halt the nature loss. We have been helping various actors negotiate acceptable solutions to issues related to the sustainability transition since 2013.
In recent years, we have worked closely on research and development related to biodiversity offsetting as the interaction manager for the STN-funded Boost consortium. We have been involved in creating a general model for the implementation of biodiversity offsetting in municipalities, facilitating the joint development of compensation guidelines and calculators by a broad group of experts, and supporting the design of habitat types in the built environment. Our work has focused on strengthening the social impact of the Boost project’s results and implementing collaborative processes with the end users and stakeholders. This approach has yielded results and praise. Currently we are involved in steering a process to develop an operating model for launching strategic biodiversity offsetting and nature value markets at the regional and provincial levels.
While we are at the heart of development and research on biodiversity offsetting, we are also constantly working to improve the anticipation and resolution of conflicts related to the green transition in Finland. The work we do with foundation funding in various pilot locations and areas (Kristiinankaupunki, Oulu, Kaustinen region, western reindeer herding area, and Sodankylä) aims to disseminate and scale up operating models and methods validated by previous experience and research to anticipate disputes and strengthen the acceptability of the transition. The main issue at stake is the greenness of the green transition, i.e., the overall impact of the projects on nature.
Recently, we have heard from experts and project operators who have participated in training courses on strategic stakeholder cooperation in green transition projects about their experiences of how biodiversity offsetting has been promoted as a remedy to gain local acceptance. However, it has often become apparent early on that compensation is not enough to address the concerns of the parties involved or to eliminate opposition to the projects. There is a risk in misplaced expectations: if expectations of improved acceptance related to biodiversity offsetting or other nature-based measures are not met, the voluntary nature value market may face difficulties. It is therefore important to recognize that both tackling the nature loss and ensuring the acceptability of the transition require a wider range of tools than a single instrument.
In our work, we have seen how social acceptance is the sum of many factors. In addition to verifiable impacts on nature and how to avoid, minimize, and compensate for them, stakeholders are increasingly interested in how project planning and development take place (processes of cooperation and participation), what other impacts projects have on local communities (distribution of benefits and disadvantages), how impact assessment and monitoring are carried out (reliability of data), and how the overall picture is managed and evaluated (assessment and management of cumulative impacts). To meet these needs, joint problem-solving is required, in which the entirety of projects targeting the same area is boldly examined and an agreement is reached with rights holders and stakeholders on what is required to achieve acceptability. In practice, this means negotiation based collaboration in which the parties come together to formulate creative solutions that take everyone’s needs into account. Some of these solutions may ultimately lead to the nature value market, while others may lead to other measures.
Author:
Emma Luoma, Leading Specialist, Akordi Oy
emma@akordi.fi | +358 40 5163622
