BioAgora presents: the BIONEXT project

Alongside BioAgora, many other interesting European projects aim to navigate the biodiversity policy landscape. We are pleased to introduce the BIONEXT project.

BIONEXT: New solutions and tools for nature-centered future

BIONEXT is a research and innovation project that joins the fight for nature and biodiversity. The project produces new evidence to better understand biodiversity loss and demonstrates how biodiversity underpins every aspect of life, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and our health. The project does this by enhancing knowledge of the interlinkages between seven elements essential for human life: biodiversity, water, food, energy, health, climate, and transport.

*Illustration of the biodiversity nexus that demonstrates the interlinkages between biodiversity, water, food, climate, energy, transport, and health. Copyright: BIONEXT project.*

Biodiversity loss threatens life as we know it and transformative change is needed to reverse the current negative trends. Therefore, BIONEXT works to characterize transformative change to a sustainable society, where links between biodiversity, water, food, energy, transport, climate, and health are acknowledged and nature and biodiversity become part of everyday life choices and decision-making.

BIONEXT creates and offers science-based solutions and tools for reversing biodiversity loss and contributing to a regenerative nature-centred society. The project introduces an innovative nexus modelling framework that simulates the interlinkages between biodiversity, climate change, food, water, energy, transport, and human health. It develops the Pathways app, allowing users to explore these scenarios and simulate ways to create sustainable societies.

BIONEXT reaches across disciplinary boundaries and builds a network of scientists ambitious to find practical and effective solutions for halting biodiversity loss.

BIONEXT's project team and project officer — *BIONEXT’s project team and project officer Colombe Warin (first row, third on left) photographed in September. Copyright: BIONEXT project.*

BIONEXT and BioAgora share multiple similarities, going beyond the fact that both are coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute and receive funding from the Horizon Europe program. Both projects aim to elevate biodiversity and nature to the heart of European policy debate and decision-making, bringing scientific evidence to the table. Both projects use the Nature Futures Framework as the scenario-building tool for positive futures for people and nature.

BIONEXT is a four-year project (2022–2026) with ten partners from eight European countries. It is co-funded by the EU and the UK Research and Innovation Horizon Europe co-funding guarantee 10039588.