What does it take to turn a biodiversity resolution into something a farmer, a researcher and a policymaker can actually use together? That was the question at the centre of the fourth World Biodiversity Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland, from 14 to 18 June 2026 under the theme “Leading Transformation Together.” It is also the question at the heart of Living Labs biodiversity action, and it is now written into a global resolution.
More than 1,000 participants, drawn from academia, government, business, NGOs, philanthropy, the arts and civil society, gathered to discuss how to accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Among the outcomes was the adoption of the World Biodiversity Forum 2026 Resolution, which explicitly recognises Living Labs as a methodology connecting science, practice and society in support of biodiversity action.
The Resolution names Living Labs among the priority topics to emerge from the Forum. Its exact wording is significant for anyone working in this space:
“The use of Living Labs as transdisciplinary platforms, drawing from different knowledge types to co-create (nature-based) solutions that foster biodiversity and benefit human wellbeing, is a prominent methodology for bridging gaps between science, practice and society.”
For ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs), this is recognition of something the network has argued for years: that biodiversity challenges are not only solved by generating new knowledge or setting ambitious targets. They are solved by creating the conditions for people to work together, test solutions under real conditions and implement them where they are needed most.
ENoLL was represented at the Forum by Giulia Campodonico, the network’s Head of Projects and Coordinator of the SOILL Support Structure for the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” Giulia joined the workshop “Sowing Seeds for Tomorrow: Defining Research and Policy Priorities for Building Sustainable and Biodiverse Agroecosystems,” convened by Martin Hartmann and Stefan Geisen, which brought together researchers, advisors, policymakers and practitioners to discuss how soil biodiversity can support productive and resilient agricultural systems.
She joined a panel alongside Gerlinde B. De Deyn, Zoë Lindo, Salvador Lladó Fernández and Dimitrios Karpouzas, bringing perspectives from several European research and innovation initiatives into direct conversation.
Giulia’s contribution focused on a question ENoLL encounters constantly in its work with Members across 42 countries: how do you move from knowledge to implementation? Drawing on the experience of the SOILL Support Structure and ENoLL’s wider network, she explained how Living Labs provide a framework for farmers, researchers, public authorities, businesses and citizens to work together over time. Building trust, co-designing solutions and testing them under real conditions all require continuity, and that continuity is difficult to achieve within the lifetime of a single project. Living Labs supply the long-term governance needed to turn collaboration into lasting change.
Beyond the SOILL workshop, Living Labs, co-creation and Indigenous knowledge were repeatedly highlighted across the Forum’s programme. Whether the discussion focused on restoration, agriculture, conservation or governance, the message was consistent: biodiversity challenges require approaches that bring together different knowledge systems and support long-term collaboration.
This is precisely why Living Labs biodiversity action matters as a distinct methodology rather than a general innovation buzzword. A Living Lab is not a one-off pilot or a stakeholder workshop. It is a standing structure, often running across multiple project cycles, that allows the same group of farmers, scientists and public authorities to keep testing, learning and adjusting together. That structure is what the WBF2026 Resolution points to when it describes Living Labs as a bridge between science, practice and society.
The inclusion of Living Labs in the World Biodiversity Forum Resolution gives ENoLL a formal reference point to bring into future biodiversity policy discussions, including the ongoing work of the SOILL Support Structure under the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” It also reinforces the case ENoLL makes to new Members and partners: that Living Labs are not confined to the innovation and technology sector, but are an effective, evidence-backed way to translate biodiversity ambitions into action on the ground.
ENoLL will continue to share lessons from the SOILL Support Structure and from its 200 active Members as this work develops, and will look for further opportunities to connect the Living Lab methodology to biodiversity, restoration and agroecosystem policy at the European and global level.
ENoLL was represented at the World Biodiversity Forum 2026 by Giulia Campodonico, Head of Projects and SOILL Coordinator.
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