While addressing biodiversity loss and climate change requires robust scientific knowledge, it also requires effective pathways to ensure that this knowledge is understood, trusted, and acted upon. Yet, the flow of biodiversity and climate knowledge between providers and users remains uneven and fragmented, limiting the potential for transformative change.

This session, convened by the EU-funded RESPIN project (Reinforcing Science-Policy Interfaces for integrated biodiversity and climate knowledge and policies), explores how knowledge circulates between holders (scientists, institutions, IPBES/IPCC experts) and users (policy makers, societal organisations, practitioners). Drawing on social network analysis in seven countries, as well as surveys and interviews with over 700 knowledge holders and users, RESPIN identifies both barriers and opportunities for more inclusive and impactful knowledge uptake.

The session will share comparative insights into how different national and regional contexts shape knowledge networks, including who is central, who is marginalised, and what formats (policy briefs, online data, direct exchange) best support uptake. It will also use the recent IPBES Nexus and Transformative Change Assessments as examples of where knowledge input and uptake are critical for policy impact.

To ensure active engagement, we propose a 90-minute workshop-format session. Short presentations will introduce RESPIN findings, followed by structured discussion in small groups (World Café format).