Project period
01.02.2025 – 31.01.2028
About the project
BRAVE addresses the complex ecological and societal challenges associated with invasive alien species, emphasizing their multiple roles in providing benefits and burdens simultaneously. The underlying trade-offs in managing these multiple-role invasive species are complex and require inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches to ensure optimal outcomes for biodiversity, the economy and society.
The project assesses Nature-based Solutions for managing biological invasions and restoring affected ecosystems. This involves active stakeholder engagement and participatory valuation methods, recognizing the multiple and plural values of nature and the ways these translate to human well-being through a better understanding of the ecological, social, and economic benefits of Nature-based Solutions. Three carefully chosen case studies involving multiple countries and protected areas in the Nordics and the Mediterranean highlight the diverse values and stakeholder conflicts for Pacific Oyster in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Pacific Pink Salmon in Norway; and Blue Crab in Italy and Portugal.
BRAVE evaluates the socio-ecological context of harvests, including recreational and volunteer efforts, questioning their efficiency and coordination for meeting conservation goals. Highlighting the clash between economic opportunities and conservation, we aim to provide a framework for optimal policy, addressing ecological, economic, and societal concerns. We introduce economic tools to understand user values, assess trade-offs, and design incentive mechanisms. Embracing uncertainty, we examine how recreational harvesting impacts biodiversity and user values, aiming to enhance both without hindering biodiversity management. Beyond its methodological contributions to environmental and resource economics, BRAVE introduces a social science perspective, into a predominantly natural science field, which is essential as invasive species management often lacks the social and governance considerations necessary for optimal outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
Engaging diverse stakeholders, from fisheries and conservation managers to citizens, entrepreneurs, and environmental organizations, BRAVE informs policy-making with a nuanced understanding of multiple-role invasive species. It offers a framework that uncovers trade-offs, incentives, and solutions based on socioecological synergies for conservation while mitigating user conflict. The outcomes of BRAVE directly contribute to policy and management options for transformative change that considers diverse stakeholder values
Partners
University of Southern Denmark
National Research Council - Institute of Sciences of Food Production
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
NORGES MILJO-OG BIOVITENSKAPLIGE UNIVERSITET
Samfunns- og Næringslivsforskning/Norges Handelshøyskole
Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM)/Swedish Institute for Food and Agricultural Economics
University of Salento
University of Messina
Universidade do Algarve
Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences
Researchers from 糖果派对
, Assistant professor
Financing
Funded by Biodiversa+
Ekstern funding: 1.147.607 €
Total projekt budget: 1.392.582 €