Request > Transformative potential of the spatial planning process through instruments and recommendations
Which individual or combined instruments and recommendations identified by BioValue are most likely to increase the transformative potential of the spatial planning process in each EU focal country, to effectively enhance biodiversity e.g. in the context of EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), and why?
Summary
Type of requests: Support initiatives
This request was included in the project proposal of the European Union’s Horizon Europe-funded project Biovalue (Biodiversity value in spatial policy and planning leveraging multi-level and transformative change). The aim of BioValue is to leverage transformative change in spatial policymaking, planning practices and infrastructure development. By doing so, it enhances opportunities for valuing biodiversity in support of EU strategic actions.
Scoping group
- Simo Sarkki (University of Oulu, Finland) – KCB
- Sonja Hölzl (Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management (ANL) – KCB
- Brady Mattsson (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria) – MEG
- Johan Oldekop (University of Manchester, UK) – MEG
- Josie Antonucci di Carvalho (Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity – HIFMB/AWI.Germany) – MEG
- Alister Scott (University of Northumbria, UK) – MEG
- Roxanne Leberger (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental research (UFZ), Germany) – EMB
The BioValue project developed recommendations for better integrating spatial planning and management instruments, environmental assessment instruments, and economic and financial instruments into spatial planning processes to enhance biodiversity and the values that it provides to society. These recommendations were developed and partly tested in close collaboration with practitioners in transformation arenas located in the North of Italy, the greater Lisbon area, and northern Germany.
The BioValue project has explored how and when policy-, planning-, and management instruments could be used in the planning process to increase the transformative potential of planning practices for biodiversity. As a result, they produced a catalogue of instruments and measures applicable in the fields of spatial planning (n=19), environmental assessment (n=11), along with economic and finance (n=15). They have also elaborated a set of 14 recommendations (Table 1) on how to enhance biodiversity by integrating it more explicitly and systematically within the spatial planning process. Their recommendations are based on a generalized representation of the planning process and input from a limited set of countries or subnational regions. In the request submitted to Eklipse, BioValue partners seek expert opinions on the validity of the recommendations and instruments within countries across the EU including suggestions on how to improve these BioValue outputs to make them more applicable in different planning contexts.
Addressing the request will examine expected performance of the BioValue outputs while improving their transferability and impact within a representative suite of EU member states and accession countries. The main goal of the request, put forward by the BioValue project, is to understand the extent to which the policy tools and recommendations developed by the BioValue project are applicable in different EU planning contexts and systems.
Timeline
Date request received by Eklipse: 20/02/2025
Kickoff meeting by Eklipse: 24/02/2025
Call for review of the Document of Work/Methods protocol: 10/07/2025
Expected deadline for deliverables: 28/09/2025
Scoping phase
The request has now finalised the first phase within the Eklipse process: the scoping phase. It is guided by an Eklipse subgroup (see the members above) and aims to refine the question, identify how Eklipse could provide added value by being involved, by increasing policy relevance, identifying the required knowledge and expertise, and providing suggestions regarding methods and resources needed to answer the request.
Answering request and finalisation phase
The process to answer the BioValue request began in May 2025, with an online workshop held in September 2025 to establish a dialogue among different European stakeholders involved in spatial planning. The Eklipse team designed a Method Protocol and a Document of Work, both of which were ready in early July 2025 and agreed upon by the BioValue requesters. This Method Protocol was then reviewed by external reviewers in July. In the meantime, the Eklipse scoping group developed a survey to serve as a pre-workshop exercise. Invitations to the workshop were sent from August to early September via open calls and targeted invitations to experts in European and accession countries.
Eklipse, together with Sven Retore from Visuality, has been involved in the design, preparation, and facilitation of this workshop. Spatial planning experts and stakeholders from 10 European and accession countries attended to exchange ideas on the transformative potential of spatial planning processes in Europe to enhance biodiversity.
