Environmental and Social Links to Biodiversity Loss (BIOD)

Biodiversity is essential for the health and well-being of the environment and of people. Despite much research on the biological importance of biodiversity and the ecological and social impacts of its loss, and strong political will to halt biodiversity loss, particularly in Europe, biodiversity is still being lost at an accelerating rate. 

Increasing biodiversity and restoring nature is becoming an increasingly important part of EU and Finnish legislation. We do not need to wait, the scientific basis for biodiversity loss is already strong enough to start taking action to stop it. What we need now are solutions for long-term decision-making.  

The BIOD programme studies biodiversity as a precondition for well-being and provides information for nature-positive decisions. We need fundamental societal change to halt the loss of nature. This in turn requires a change in the way we think and act. We can make decisions that have a positive impact on our well-being, that of our loved ones and that of society at large, by contributing to the restoration of biodiversity in the environment we have shaped.

Multidisciplinary and interactive research 

The BIOD programme consists of three consortia, projects, which complement each other and provide solutions to prevent biodiversity loss and address the less known impacts of human activities on biodiversity. The multidisciplinary research, involving several universities and research institutes, focuses on the causes of biodiversity loss and explores ways to recover from it from different perspectives. The starting point is land use and planning: how humans have intentionally or unintentionally pushed nature away from cities and economic lands.  

• The ‘Biodiversity respecting leadership (BIODIFUL)’ project explores leadership. Preventing the depletion of nature requires a fundamental change in consumption, production and business patterns. 
• The ‘Biodiversity offsetting as an operational tool for a just sustainability transition towards no net loss of ecosystems and biodiversity (BOOST)’ project explores how to compensate for declining natural resources and ensure that natural values and their quality are not diminished despite land use. 
• The ‘Biodiversity interventions for wellbeing (BIWE)' project explores the role of skin and intrinsic biodiversity for human health and wellbeing by bringing nature closer to people, for example in residential yards. 

The research is funded by the Strategic Research Council of the Academy of Finland.