Comparing the impacts of future scenarios is essential for developing and guiding the political sustainability agenda. This review-based analysis compares six IPBES scenarios for their impacts on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 20 biodiversity targets (Aichi targets) for the Europe and Central Asia regions. The comparison is based on a review of 143 modeled scenarios synthesized in a plural cost–benefit approach which provides the distances to multiple policy goals. We confirm and substantiate the claim that transformative change is vital but also point out which directions for political transformation are to be preferred. The hopeful message is that large societal losses might still be avoided, and multiple benefits can be generated over the coming decades and centuries. Yet, policies will need to strongly steer away from scenarios based on regional competition, inequality, and economic optimism.

There is a pressing need for transformative change, with a vision of long-term human well-being within planetary boundaries. The lack of progress—despite increasing awareness and action—illustrates how challenging it is to foster change in our complex global society. Education and learning are needed to enable change. Transdisciplinary learning, which meaningfully integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, contributes to developing an integrative understanding—a necessity for tackling complex challenges. We explore how transdisciplinary learning for early-career researchers can foster transformative change and lead to increased biodiversity conservation. This paper focuses on a case study of the authors’ shared experiences during the 2021 Alternet Summer School, which focused on transformative change for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. In this introspective research, we gained insights through an online survey for participants and organizers of the summer school (n = 27). Using qualitative content analysis, we identify seven crucial elements of transdisciplinary learning which can lead to transformative change on (a) a personal level, as the learning process shifts values and helps researchers identify their roles; (b) a research level, by rethinking science and providing tools for transdisciplinary approaches, and (c) a societal level, by moving from the individual to the collective and constructing a shared vision for a sustainable future. Participants highlighted how changes on all these levels could benefit biodiversity conservation. These insights point to the benefit of transdisciplinary learning opportunities that empower young researchers to take up their part in fostering transformative change.

Nature-based solutions are claimed to offer an effective approach to tackle societal challenges and promote biodiversity. While research has mainly focused on biodiversity and material ecosystem services, non-material contributions and relational values of urban green spaces remain underexplored. How to balance the benefits of nature, well-being, and relational values in their design and performance evaluation remains unclear. To elicit the values expressed in public communication regarding the benefits of urban nature projects in Flanders, three online repositories that feature diverse nature-based solutions projects in the region were chosen. Using coding and quantitative content analysis of standardized descriptions from these repositories, this study found that relational values were most abundant (55%), followed by instrumental values (30%) and intrinsic values (15%), consistently so over socio-demographic and physical contexts. It was also discovered that larger projects have a higher level of multifunctionality, which is calculated based on the variety of values and value dimensions expressed, and that participation—although considered key—rarely reports on inclusivity. The findings suggest that in Flanders, a greater emphasis is placed on relational values associated with urban nature. A broader value scope for the design, management, and evaluation of urban green spaces tailored to the local context is recommended.