A substantial amount of ongoing studies are dedicated to investigate what can bring about transformative change. Yet, are scientists doing a good enough job at documenting the spread and diversity of collective actions for transformative change? Can we build a joint and coordinated approach for documenting the diffusion of transformative ideas and action across scales? What can we learn from such diverse actions and ideas for biodiversity-positive, just, and equitable local and global futures?

Hope—grounded in evidence of meaningful action—can inspire change agents to persist through setbacks, innovate in the face of complexity, and amplify existing initiatives. Documenting ongoing collective actions for transformative change are thus not only descriptive but catalytic.

In this session, we explore new approaches for documenting the global spread of diverse collective actions for transformative change. We call for contributions which document the scale and diversity of action striving towards transformation of human-nature relationships. We especially welcome empirical evidence of actions that are observed globally and involve plural sets of actors and values, in particular local and indigenous communities.

This session will feature reflections from the recent IPBES Transformative Change assessment as well as preliminary results from the ongoing ‘Hope assessment’ which tracks the attempts at transformation in 9 cross-cutting systems of society, including the economy, law, spatial planning, education, arts and culture. The assessment documents an acceleration in the global diffusion of diverse initiatives in these systems, which suggests that there is a substantial, hopeful global spreading of collective actions with capacity to advance transformative change.