This session takes Digital Relational Nature Values and Digital Environmental Stewardship as an entry point to explore the broader social–ecological digital interface (Langemeyer & Calcagni, 2022). Drawing on insights from the BIG-5 project (Fostering Internet-based Values of the Environment, www.big-5.eu), we invite external contributions that investigate how digital media shape people’s relationships with nature, and how these can be mobilized to support biodiversity protection. We welcome contributions that share conceptual, methodological, empirical, or practical insights, including (but not limited to):
• Digital mediation of nature experiences and value creation
• Digital-physical conservation and restoration interactions (e.g. value-action gap)
• Innovative approaches at the intersection of social–ecological systems and digital technologies
• Opportunities and risks of digital engagement for representing the needs of humans and other species in biodiversity restoration planning
Intended Outcome
The session discussion aims at an advanced understanding of how to turn digital media influence into tangible biodiversity benefits. By sharing diverse perspectives, the session aims to build a community of researchers and practitioners engaging with the amphibious realm of social–ecological digital realities.
A century has passed since intrinsic nature values fostered establishing protected areas; half a century has passed since utilitarian nature values and ecosystem services were framed. Yet the biodiversity crisis and mass extinction continue to accelerate. In response, and with the urgent need for transformative change in mind, relational values have entered the science-policy arena (IPBES, 2022). Research on relational values has mostly focused on Indigenous and long-standing human–nature relationships. Here, we extend this work to the hybrid physical–virtual realm of social-media, now part of everyday life for many people.
We develop a manual coding approach to systematically analyse digital nature-experiences and the emergence of Digital Relational Values (DRVs) in visual and textual social media data from Weibo (Mandarin), YouTube (English/Spanish), and Twitter/X (English/Spanish). Based on six intercoder iterations, we propose a DRV classification comprising 18 categories, grouped into four clusters: (a) Identity (Personal identity, Cultural identity, Sense of place, Spirituality); (b) Human–human (Social responsibility, Social memory, Social cohesion, Social relations); (c) Human–nature (Sense of agency, Stewardship principle, Reciprocity, Ecological literacy, Kinship); and (d) Giving of Nature (Livelihoods, Well-being, Eudaimonia, Aesthetics, Hedonics).
Results show marked differences in the prevalence of nature-related content across platforms and languages—most notably between Twitter/X in English (76% of posts) and Twitter/X in Spanish (25%). However, when posts contain nature content, they consistently express DRVs (58–64%, depending on platform and language). Aesthetic values dominate (48.6% on Weibo; 11.5% on Twitter/X-Spanish), while other DRVs are present but more fragmented and less consistent across platforms and languages. For instance, hedonic values are more strongly expressed on Twitter/X-Spanish (8.7% of nature posts) and YouTube-English (8.3%), whereas stewardship principle and ecological literacy are more prevalent on Weibo (4.8%) and Twitter/X-Spanish (9.6%), respectively.
Overall, our findings support Langemeyer & Calcagni’s (2022) hypothesis that indirect nature experiences on social media can give rise to a novel type of nature values. At the same time, the study highlights priorities for further research: how aesthetics and other DRVs may act as leverage points for ecological transformation; how specific DRVs spread across platforms; and why some relational values—such as eudaimonia, sense of agency, and reciprocity—are comparatively underrepresented.
How to cite: Langemeyer, J., Calcagni, F., Allen, M., Benati, G., Caixàs Vicens, M., Dancuart-Coelho, T., Gonçalves, P., Khromova, S., Liang, X., Mouthaan, R., Ortiz Naumann, A., Polo, D., Rivera Campo, A., Santos de Lima, L., and Soleymani Fard, R.: Digital Experiences of Nature Leading to the Creation of Nature Values, World Biodiversity Forum 2026, Davos, Switzerland, 14–19 Jun 2026, WBF2026-714, https://doi.org/10.5194/wbf2026-714, 2026.
Despite interests in co-benefit assessments, how to effectively represent multispecies’ relationships in conservation and nature-based solution planning is poorly understood. We present the role of an audiovisual space - a geodesign dome ‘theatre’ – as a methodological platform for researching the relationships of local people to other species and visions of a multispecies future. Within this platform we built on the concept of the soundscape, situating it as a social-ecological nexus within which to explore the idea of listening and perspective taking as a pathway to increasing nature connectedness. Working with local urban planners and decision makers in Tampere in Finland, we created and facilitated an audiovisual journey to the future. In these envisioning sessions participants imagined, co-created and discussed various desirable and undesirable visions for a multispecies city in 2050. To explore the potential of this platform as a co-design space to foster human empathy towards the needs of other species in urban nature, we also worked with local school children in Tampere, aged 16-18. We combined educational classroom interventions and in-situ soundwalks in their local neighbourhoods, with reflective discussions inside the dome to explore together how this space could be used by both schoolchildren and teachers. We found that local planners and decision makers felt the audiovisual space encouraged them to think beyond the present and envision an array of sustainable and inclusive futures for both humans and other species. Local schoolchildren identified clear ideas for how existing topics in their geography curriculum could be better taught in this immersive space. Reflecting on the lack of situated learning in current teaching practice, they also highlighted how such a space could allow them to both travel in space and time, bringing them closer to landscapes and species they could not otherwise reach. We conclude our presentation by discussing some of the opportunities and risks of immersive digital engagement in providing compelling learning experiences for policy makers and children, and how this can contribute to more effective nature conservation planning going forward.
How to cite: Carruthers-Jones, J., Raymond, C., and Aavanranta, S.: Immersive audiovisual dome for multispecies perspective taking, World Biodiversity Forum 2026, Davos, Switzerland, 14–19 Jun 2026, WBF2026-64, https://doi.org/10.5194/wbf2026-64, 2026.
Living Labs have become important instruments for testing and adapting Nature-based Solutions, yet their potential to support deeper transformative change depends on how effectively they bridge scientific knowledge, community perspectives and governance structures.
Within the Horizon Europe OneSTOP (OneBiosecurity Systems and Technology for People, Places and Pathways, Grant agreement ID 101180559) project, we use Living Labs across five diverse bioclimatic and socio-economic European regions (Romania, UK, Finland, Portugal and Belgium) to co-develop integrated biosecurity approaches for minimising the introduction, establishment and spread of invasive alien species. Invasive alien species pose a serious threat to the environment, cost the EU billions of euros every year and are one of the single greatest drivers of biodiversity loss, requiring action beyond traditional measures.
The Living Labs serve as open innovative environments with two main functions: technology co-creation and validation, and facilitating societal experimentation and systemic change across major actors dealing directly or indirectly with invasive alien species. They integrate social sciences and humanities, ensuring engagement with local stakeholders and the public. They are instrumental in gathering input on public perceptions and attitudes, stimulating ethical discussions on invasive alien species management and informing the development of socially acceptable and ethically responsible management strategies. This multi-stakeholder setting enables the co-design of decision tools and policy briefs, addressing structural and cultural barriers to invasive alien species management and promoting integrated governance.
These real-world settings also provide a platform for testing and demonstrating a suite of cutting-edge detection and prioritisation methodologies, including the deployment of innovative approaches such as Air-DNA, Computer Vision, iEcology, and Citizen Science (Sentinel Gardens). This process generates actionable feedback for researchers to ensure the technical readiness and usability of the project's outputs.
By providing a platform for collaboration, co-creation and continuous feedback across all project pillars (detection, prioritisation, dissemination, and socio-political action), the OneSTOP 5 Living Labs ensure that technological innovation is directly translated into practical, sustainable and policy-relevant biosecurity outcomes, contributing to a more secure and resilient environment against invasive alien species.
How to cite: Abraham, L. and the OneSTOP Living Labs team: Living Labs: integrating technology and societal action in OneSTOP biosecurity for transformative change, World Biodiversity Forum 2026, Davos, Switzerland, 14–19 Jun 2026, WBF2026-614, https://doi.org/10.5194/wbf2026-614, 2026.
The appreciation of natural areas has become an increasingly relevant. In regions such as the Atlantic Forest biome, which is home to more than 70% of the Brazilian population, protected areas play a fundamental role in providing Ecosystem Services (ES), including those in the cultural category (CES). However, since these values are shaped by subjective and relational aspects, their measurement is challenging and requires alternative methods. In this context, social media offers an alternative way to observe how people relate to nature through their own narratives, preferences and visual expressions.
This research investigates how Instagram users perceive and express the cultural values associated with Tijuca National Park, one of the largest urban forests in the world, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We analyzed about 56,000 public posts tagged #parquenacionaldatijuca", where a sample was selected and processed using the Google Cloud Vision tool, which identifies different elements present in images. This process produced over two thousand labels, later organized into categories of landscapes and human activities.
The results show that, although 79% of the images include people, something expected on a platform shaped by self-representation, it is the landscape elements that stand out the most. Even with people in the frame, nature dominates the scene, suggesting that aesthetic attributes play a central role in visitors’ representations of the park.
The spatial distributions and profiles of the users who published the images were also analyzed. They showed a concentration of images at tourist sites such as Corcovado, Pedra da Gávea, and Pedra Bonita, shared more frequently by tour guides, influencers, and professional photographers. Posts often highlight recreational and wellness activities, which emphasize the relational dimension of cultural ecosystem services, especially identity, pleasure and emotional connections to the park.
By identifying the indicators of cultural ecosystem services and the areas where their perception is most pronounced, this research shows how social media can support more inclusive management of protected natural areas, especially those located in urban contexts. The results also indicate that, beyond reflecting people’s preferences for landscapes and values, these digital platforms can intensify the relationship between people and nature.
How to cite: Costa, P., Langemeyer, J., and Lindenkamp, T.: Cultural Ecosystem Services in an Urban Forest: Insights from Instagram Data on Tijuca National Park, Brazil, World Biodiversity Forum 2026, Davos, Switzerland, 14–19 Jun 2026, WBF2026-952, https://doi.org/10.5194/wbf2026-952, 2026.
Social media (SM) is changing the ways in which people value and care for nature. This study investigates how SM can be a space of opportunity and risk to mobilize values for environmental stewardship. We propose that SM offers complementary pathways for environmental stewardship by fostering care, knowledge and agency. Yet, the potential is limited by socio-environmental, political and technological affordances. We analyze the occurrence of relational values and stewardship action across three major SM platforms (X, YouTube and Weibo) and three major languages (English, Spanish and Chinese). Our findings show that even though nature appears often in the feed, and in over half of the posts includes an expression of value, stewardship action is reported slightly. Aesthetic and hedonic value typologies dominate in the digital sphere and are less likely to co-occur with stewardship action, whereas values related to stewardship principle, ecological literacy and kinship are more likely to co-occur with reported stewardship action. By challenging the widespread notion that SM leads only to nature disconnection and a decline in environmental stewardship, we hope to inspire discussions and raise new questions on the role of SM in advancing the socio-ecological transition.
How to cite: Ortiz Naumann, A. and Langemeyer, J.: Nature in the Feed: Exploring digital expressions of value and action for the environment , World Biodiversity Forum 2026, Davos, Switzerland, 14–19 Jun 2026, WBF2026-695, https://doi.org/10.5194/wbf2026-695, 2026.
