TY - JOUR

T1 - An archetype analysis of sustainability innovations in Biosphere Reserves: Insights for assessing transformative potential

AU - Dabard, Caroline Hélène

AU - Mann, Carsten

AU - Martín-López, Berta

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Biosphere Reserves Institute and the Innovation and Career Centre "ProBio-LaB" by the Ministry of Science , Research and Culture of the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany. © 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

PY - 2024/3/1

Y1 - 2024/3/1

N2 - Sustainability transformations are considered to provide pathways to solve current wicked problems, although empirical approaches to assess their actual transformative potential are still limited. In this study, we analyse a diverse set of 129 sustainability innovations in two Biosphere Reserves in Germany and France (Schorfheide-Chorin and Fontainebleau-Gâtinais), based on an analytical framework that characterises innovations through actors, processes and outcomes. With a hierarchical cluster analysis conducted on innovation outcomes, we identify six archetypes: Participative Transformation Governance, New Sectors for Social-ecological Transformations, Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurs, Social Innovations, Service Innovations and Technological Efficiency Innovations. The most transformative archetype, Participative Transformation Governance, targets both shallow and deep leverage points, while implementing diverse amplifying strategies to enhance impacts. The least transformative archetypes, e.g. Service Innovations, target shallow leverage points and lack amplifying strategies. Our archetype approach thus proves suitable for capturing a diverse range of sustainability innovations and characterising their transformative outcomes. Synergies between archetypes could be identified and further research should elaborate on the bridging role of Biosphere Reserves to best use synergies and enhance transformative processes.

AB - Sustainability transformations are considered to provide pathways to solve current wicked problems, although empirical approaches to assess their actual transformative potential are still limited. In this study, we analyse a diverse set of 129 sustainability innovations in two Biosphere Reserves in Germany and France (Schorfheide-Chorin and Fontainebleau-Gâtinais), based on an analytical framework that characterises innovations through actors, processes and outcomes. With a hierarchical cluster analysis conducted on innovation outcomes, we identify six archetypes: Participative Transformation Governance, New Sectors for Social-ecological Transformations, Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurs, Social Innovations, Service Innovations and Technological Efficiency Innovations. The most transformative archetype, Participative Transformation Governance, targets both shallow and deep leverage points, while implementing diverse amplifying strategies to enhance impacts. The least transformative archetypes, e.g. Service Innovations, target shallow leverage points and lack amplifying strategies. Our archetype approach thus proves suitable for capturing a diverse range of sustainability innovations and characterising their transformative outcomes. Synergies between archetypes could be identified and further research should elaborate on the bridging role of Biosphere Reserves to best use synergies and enhance transformative processes.

KW - Transformation

KW - Sustainability transitions

KW - Social-ecological systems

KW - Social innovation

KW - Leverage points

KW - Amplification

KW - Sustainability Governance

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183325785&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103674

DO - 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103674

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 153

JO - Environmental Science & Policy

JF - Environmental Science & Policy

SN - 1462-9011

M1 - 103674

ER -