Three Pathways for Social Networks to Drive Nature-Positive Change

Publication Year

2026

Original Title

Transformative pathways for social networks to navigate towards a nature-positive society: collaborate, challenge, and disrupt

Orginal Author(s)

Judith Westerink; Jeanne Nel; Rosalie van Dam; Robin Dianoux; Eszter Kelemen; Stefan Knauss; Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki; Karla E. Locher-Krause; M. Susana Orta-Ortiz; Salla Rantala; Sibylle Schroer; Marie Vandewalle; Renata Włodarczyk-Marciniak; Amy Wortel

Original Organisation

Wageningen University & Research (WUR), INRAE and other European research organisations

Keywords

Nature-positive · Biodiversity · Social networks · Transformative change · Biodiversity governance · Collaboration · Science–policy–society · Sustainability transitions

Summary

The article is a review and conceptual contribution on the role of social networks in biodiversity transformation. Drawing on literature and a collaborative design process, the authors develop a framework describing three pathways through which networks can pursue transformative ambitions. Particular attention is given to networks that cross boundaries between science, policy and society, where different forms of knowledge, values and interests can interact.

The authors emphasise that the three pathways are not mutually exclusive. Networks may need to move between collaboration, challenge and disruption depending on the situation, while networks of networks can combine pathways and leverage complementary capacities.

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Figure 1. Theory of transformative change for social networks with three pathways navigating towards a nature-positive society. The ‘stepping stones’ follow a theory of change approach starting from the motivation/mission of the network, to composition/structure, via internal processes, activities, and external processes to outputs, and finally contributing to transformative impacts. The three pathways collaborate, challenge, and disrupt are based on the external processes of social networks. The stepping stones visualise the possibility of combining and navigating pathways. Some aspects are valid for all pathways: these are listed on the left. The figure was made by Angela de Lang. Westerink et al. (2026)

Key insights

1. Social networks can act as levers for transformative change by connecting actors across science, policy and society.

2. The authors identify three complementary pathways: collaborate, challenge and disrupt.

3. Collaboration works within existing systems by building coalitions among actors who share transformative ambitions.

4. Challenging involves questioning unsustainable or inequitable practices and calling on powerful actors to take responsibility for change.

5. Disrupting focuses on removing or overcoming structures, practices or actors that prevent, resist or delay transformative biodiversity change.