Knowledge Transfer – Explore

Through our social science research at existing science-politics-society interfaces, obstacles and weak points can be identified. On this basis, the UFZ develops needs-based processes in order to be able to develop solutions together with stakeholders.

Some of our research projects include:

The role of motivation crowding for biodiversity conservation policy

Economic incentives have increasingly been emphasised in policies that promote a more sustainable use of natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity. Psychological theory on human motivation has shown that monetary incentives may reduce people’s ‘intrinsic’ motivation to act in desired ways and may undermine a certain pre-defined objective. This project synthesizes the empirical evidence on motivation crowding effects and aims to understand the conditions under which they occur, including policy design features, cultural context, and personal characteristics.

Integrating multiple values of nature in environmental decisions and policy

This objective of this project is to contribute to a better understanding of 1) the diversity of human-nature relationships and value dimensions, and 2) how the multiple values of nature are reflected in motivations and decisions of different societal actors (individuals, groups, institutions), and 3) how the multiple values of nature can be better accounted for in environmental policy and governance.

The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) for biodiversity conservation behaviour and policy

The BCW is increasingly applied to sustainability-related behaviours. It is an integrated framework that distinguishes three main elements of behavioural factors – Capability, Opportunity, Motivation. This involves testing its applicability, potentially adapting certain elements to the biodiversity policy domain, and to instigate inter- and transdisciplinary work towards designing behaviour-based interventions.

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