Biosphere Futures, Global

The Biosphere Futures project - www.biospherefutures.net - offers an online database of scenario planning case studies from all over the world. The overarching aim is to support sustainable development of the Biosphere. We focus on scenarios that explore the interactions and interdependencies between humans and ecosystems. Partners: Stockholm Resilience Centre, NatCap Stanford.  Collaborators:Azote, Colectivo Fractal.

The Challenge

Scenario analysis is a powerful tool for environmental assessment and sustainable development planning. Scenarios allow us to anticipate future change by exploring critical uncertainties. Scenarios may also help us to envision and articulate desirable futures, helping us to explore options and policies to achieve those futures. However, the community of practice is broad and little organized, reducing the potential of scenario planning to boost sustainable development. Biosphere Futures helps people connect, showcase their work, find relevant resources, and be inspired.

The NatCap Approach

The Natural Capital Project has a lot of experience with scenario planning. InVEST modelling is typically combined with scenario analysis to inform decision making processes about nature and nature's contributions to people. This experience brings the Natural Capital Project in a unique position to help strengthen the broader community of practice around scenario planning. Biosphere Futures is supported by the Natural Capital Project at Stanford and the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Header image credit: Connected Communities by Rick Powell. In: Lambert et al 2018 Voices from the Land