Abstract ID: 3.9700 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

Launched in 2023, the VIVALP Living Lab aims to support the implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS) in protected areas to enhance the resilience of regions particularly vulnerable to climate change. Employing a strong co-production approach, VIVALP brings together researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and stakeholders from three territories in the French Alps to design and experiment with solutions tailored to local challenges. This presentation aims to share early insights from VIVALP’s development and stimulate dialogue on how to sustainably embed NbS in mountain areas. It will outline and analyse VIVALP’s co-production process in three key stages.
First, we will describe the main phases of the co-design process, developed in each territory over the first 18 months of the project through participatory workshops, semi-structured interviews and field exchanges: (1) the joint identification of territorial challenges related to biodiversity, based on prior knowledge and stakeholder priorities; (2) the co-definition of a desirable future integrating the three dimensions of NbS (biodiversity, economy and well-being, and social and cultural life); and (3) the joint development of criteria for selecting specific actions targeted by the Living Lab’s research. For the selected actions, pilot experiments will start in Spring 2025 and integrated landscape scenarios for implementing four selected NbS will be co-produced in one of the VIVALP territories.
Secondly, we will describe the inclusive governance structure designed to ensure meaningful stakeholder engagement in technical orientation decisions throughout the project. This includes the establishment of four steering committees: one at the Living Lab level and one in each of the three territories. Additionally, a monitoring and evaluation process has been implemented to assess the co-construction process and the effects of NbS actions. This process includes evaluation questionnaires following each workshop, a comprehensive assessment system addressing the different dimensions of NbS, and Theory of Change workshops.
Finally, we will examine the specific influence of the protected area context: how does it shape the co-design process? Conversely, how can this approach contribute to the management and embedding of NbS in protected areas?