Structure

The Partnership is structured around five case studies, each applying a combination of the project’s cross-cutting methodologies. By synthesizing these case studies, we will identify and analyze the linkages, opportunities, and barriers to achieving Food-Climate-Biodiversity (FCB) goals across various spatial, temporal, social, and ecological contexts.

Methodological Approach

Four core methods will be applied across the five case studies, each supported by a dedicated methodological project team within the Partnership:

Scenarios Development

Co-leads: Garry Peterson & Laura Pereira

Scenario planning supports decision-making in highly uncertain situations by developing policy-relevant alternative futures. These scenarios vary based on assumptions about how the world will unfold and the strategies actors might implement. While the use of environmental scenarios is growing rapidly, the field remains fragmented. Two key research gaps persist:

A lack of effective, cross-scale scenario methods that capture the dynamic feedbacks between human systems and the living world.
A lack of pathways toward sustainable, “desirable” futures that explicitly account for the pluralistic views and values of stakeholder and knowledge-holder groups.

Application in Case Studies:

For each case study, partners and knowledge-holders will co-create plausible futures and narratives for food production systems that reflect a diversity of values and worldviews. Desirable futures will be developed using the IPBES “Nature Futures” framework via participatory workshops that merge qualitative methods with quantitative modeling to bridge different knowledge systems.

We will organize at least three workshops per case study to:

Co-develop future visions and perspectives with diverse rights-holders, stakeholders, and knowledge-holders.
Explore transformative scenario narratives and pathways.
Discuss policy implications under the developed scenarios.

Integrated Modelling

Co-leads: Rob Alkemade & William Cheung

Integrated modeling evaluates local-to-global FCB questions using qualitative and quantitative systems analysis. It combines disciplinary models (e.g., economics, human behavior, biology, climate), data, and assessment methods to explore system-scale problems.

While integrated modeling has significantly shaped environmental policies (such as climate action), most existing models are limited:

They focus on narrow dimensions of the FCB nexus (e.g., the sustainable use of wild species while omitting bio-cultural aspects).
They fail to sufficiently represent FCB interactions across spatial and temporal scales.
Their application to FCB challenges is heavily concentrated in developed regions due to financial and knowledge capacity constraints in developing regions.

Application in Case Studies:

The Partnership will connect qualitative and quantitative modeling approaches to accommodate diverse social and ecological contexts, using these models to explore the transformative pathways identified in our scenario exercises.

We will link existing integrated models across:

Systems (e.g., land and ocean)
Sectors (e.g., fisheries and agriculture)
Disciplines (e.g., economic and ecological)
Scales (e.g., spatial and temporal)

Led by experts in international and local FCB modeling, the Partnership will actively build modeling capacity in regions where resources are currently limited, establishing a foundation for replication beyond our active case studies.

Participatory Research Methods

Co-leads: Louise Teh & Lydia Teh

Participatory research is an inclusive, systematic approach to producing solution-oriented knowledge alongside stakeholders. Guided by researchers, stakeholders collaborate to stimulate innovation, encourage social learning, integrate diverse knowledge and expectations, and mitigate conflicts.

These tools are highly suited to the multi-dimensional nature of the FCB nexus and are increasingly used in social-ecological research (e.g., climate adaptation).

Application in Case Studies:

Participatory methods will be integrated into all project components to co-develop, translate, and transmit knowledge to resource users, managers, and national/international policymakers.

For each case study, we will host participatory workshops and focus group discussions. These collaborative spaces will allow researchers and knowledge users to actively co-create and share knowledge, blend diverse perspectives, and ensure all research remains solution-oriented and aligned with user needs.

Decision Support Framework

Lead: Tara Martin

Decision support frameworks translate existing and newly generated knowledge into actionable policy discussions. We will use the Priority Threat Management (PTM) approach, which helps decision-makers manage multiple environmental challenges when information is limited by assessing the benefits, co-benefits, costs, and trade-offs of potential strategies. PTM has successfully resolved complex biodiversity conservation problems by bringing stakeholders, rights-holders, and knowledge-holders together to prioritize management strategies for social-ecological systems.

Application in Case Studies:

For each case study, we will apply the PTM framework to synthesize findings from our scenarios, integrated modeling, and expert knowledge through structured expert elicitation workshops. This process will identify the scope of FCB challenges, cost-effective solutions, and policy communication pathways.

Specifically, we will use the PTM framework to:

Identify the specific information that global and regional policymakers and stakeholders need to apply a nexus approach.
Interactively test the effectiveness of the project’s scenarios and visualizations in supporting policy discussions.
Facilitate the practical application of Partnership outputs across different decision-making contexts.

Through PTM, we will design and develop preferred communication platforms that help stakeholders, rights-holders, and policymakers evaluate portfolios of FCB solutions.