Strategic spatial planning is a key tool to align land use with biodiversity conservation and restoration and create transformative change. In current policy trajectories, spatial planning must address scientific imperatives alongside multi-sectoral policy goals (e.g. housing, mobility) while opening spaces for democracy and participation. Questions of justice and equity must be front and centre because groups most affected by environmental change have often been marginalised in decision-making.

In this session, we welcome abstracts that investigate how spatial planning (as a practice and research topic) is transforming to deliver transformative change for biodiversity. This topic could include how, and with what qualities, planning systems, land governance, and participatory processes contribute to biodiversity outcomes across diverse geographical, cultural, and sectoral contexts. Contributions could address (for example) integrative planning approaches that mainstream biodiversity, policy coherence and cross-sectoral governance, the role of participatory and inclusive planning processes, and empirical case studies of transformative planning. This session is hosted by the PLUS Change project (Planning Land Use Strategies in a Changing World). Due to the focus of the project, we are looking for submissions that consider questions of justice, democracy and participation in planning.

This session aims to contribute actionable knowledge on the role of land use planning in biodiversity-positive land use transformations. We intend to collate lessons learned for broader dissemination into current science-policy considerations, including for example the IPBES assessment on spatial planning and the IPCC report on Cities and Climate Change.