Engaging with biodiversity through walking interventions

This transdisciplinary project contributes to the BiodivTransform call by exploring how the novel methodology and societal innovation of ‘Ecological Pilgrimage’ can transform the recreational use of hiking trails to meet biodiversity conservation objectives. Departing from historical connotations of colonial expeditions or religious ceremonies, pilgrimage is approached here as a reparative journey that enables meaningful engagement with nonhuman communities amidst existential ecological crises. The project brings together diverse knowledge systems to create insights on how biodiversity and human activities can coexist in reciprocal and regenerative ways. This ambition is guided by sustainability scientists who view biodiversity loss as a symptom of a profound relational crisis and highlight human–nature connectedness as key to sustainability transformations on individual and societal levels.

The project draws theoretical and methodological guidance from ‘ecological reparation’ as a bottom-up, relational approach that seeks to mend damaged ecologies and bridge the nature-culture divide. The notion highlights transversal experimentation and the reinvention of lost knowledges, skills, and practices of repair. The project’s scientific objective is to develop and cultivate reparative practices that can transform human-nature relations and safeguard biodiversity in recreational settings. This objective is divided into three research questions: What can ‘Ecological Pilgrimage’ do as a methodological innovation? How can various stakeholders engage in reparative practices through walking interventions? How can ‘Ecological Pilgrimage’ be cultivated as an innovation for societal change?

The project focuses on situated biodiversity issues along four hiking trails in Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden, within landscapes shaped by industrial, conservation, and recreational activities. The walking interventions are designed to enable transnational learning among project partners, knowledge brokers, local guardians of ecological relations, hikers, outdoor and tourism associations, and representatives from municipalities and regional councils. By exploring how 'Ecological Pilgrimage' can contribute to the development of Nature-based Solutions and healthy ecosystems, the project expands the potential of outdoor recreation and tourism development, informs tourism strategies, and supports the 'Biodiversity Strategy 2030' to restore nature across Europe.