Tailoring evidence into action: using a codesign approach for biodiversity information in the Tropical Andes

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation is a complex and transdisciplinary problem that requires engagement and cooperation among scientific, societal, economic, and political institutions. However, historical approaches have often failed to bring together and address the needs of relevant stakeholders in decision-making processes. The Tropical Andes, a biodiversity hotspot where conservation efforts often conflict with socioeconomic issues and policies that prioritize economic development, provides an ideal model to develop and implement more effective approaches. In this study, we present a codesign approach that mainstreams and improves the flow of biodiversity information in the Tropical Andes, while creating tailored outputs that meet the needs of economic and societal stakeholders. We employed a consultative process that brought together biodiversity information users and producers at the local, national, and regional levels through a combination of surveys and workshops. This approach identified priority needs and limitations of the flow of biodiversity information in the region, which led to the co-design of user-relevant biodiversity indicators. By leveraging the existing capacities of biodiversity information users and producers, we were able to co-design multiple biodiversity indicators and prioritize two for full implementation ensuring that the data was findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable based on the FAIR principles. This approach helped address limitations that were identified in the stakeholder engagement process, including gaps in data availability and the need for more accessible biodiversity information. Additionally, capacity-building workshops were incorporated for all stakeholders involved, which aimed to not only improve the current flow of biodiversity information in the region but also facilitate its future sustainability. Our approach can serve as a valuable blueprint for mainstreaming biodiversity information and making it more inclusive in the future, especially considering the diverse worldviews, values, and knowledge systems between science, policy, and practice.

Tailoring evidence into action: Using a co‐design approach for biodiversity information in the Tropical Andes

“…In response to these challenges, the resulting indicators played a pivotal role in the creation of a highly impactful scientific paper (Comer et al, 2022), presenting an extensive regional analysis of biodiversity status, trends, and potential drivers in the Tropical Andes region. Notably, the manuscript and associated data were meticulously developed in accordance with FAIR principles, ensuring open accessibility to the complete geospatial datasets of the scalable indicators (Valdez, 2023) and available for visualization in the GEO-BON EBV Data Portal (Valdez et al, 2022). Moreover, recognizing the intricate complexity of biodiversity issues, coupled with the need for effective information synthesis across diverse audiences beyond academic articles, our approach extended to the translation of scientific knowledge into easily comprehensible and contextually engaging actionable insights.…”