About TCforBE

As global crises intensify and become increasingly interconnected, existing sustainability measures are insufficient to halt the alarming decline in biodiversity.

Interlinked agrifood systems lie at the heart of this challenge: EU demand for agricultural commodities drives land use changes that cause significant biodiversity losses in tropical biodiversity hotspots.

Diagram showing how EU commodity demand connects through telecoupled systems to biodiversity loss in producer countries — TCforBE conceptual framework — telecoupled agrifood systems linking EU demand to biodiversity outcomes.

TCforBE integrates three interconnected methodological pillars to generate solutions that are scientifically rigorous, politically feasible and equitable.

Participatory Process

We engage stakeholders at EU, national and local scales — bringing together academics, policymakers, NGOs, local communities and industry. Together, we are co-developing transformative pathways for more sustainable agrifood systems.

Transdisciplinary Research

Our team combines ecological science, social science, policy analysis and finance expertise. By integrating plural perspectives, we ensure that each solution addresses biodiversity conservation and equitable development simultaneously.

Telecoupled Focus

We examine agrifood value chains linking EU demand to land-use decisions in producer countries. By understanding these telecouplings, we identify leverage points for deep change within both production landscapes and EU governance frameworks.

Our analysis concentrates on high biodiversity impact commodities from the Global South, working directly with communities, institutions and governments in three countries.

Coffee
Palm Oil
Bananas

Cocoa
Non-Timber Forest Products

Tea
Avocados

Generate New Knowledge

Rigorous, context-specific research on how EU consumption drives land-use changes and biodiversity loss.

Develop Practical Tools

Decision-making frameworks that integrate biodiversity metrics, social equity considerations and sustainable finance levers.

Enhance Stakeholder Capacity

Work with stakeholders to increase their willingness and capacity to influence biodiversity and equity outcomes effectively.

9 institutions across 8 countries

Forest & Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University

Netherlands

Hanken AFG Centre, Hanken School of Economics

Finland

CIRAD

France

IDDRI

France

Sustainability Area, Universidad de los Andes

Colombia

Université de Dschang

Cameroon

University of Kabianga

Kenya

Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich

United Kingdom

Global Landscapes Forum

Germany

TCforBE is part of a cluster of EU-funded research projects delivering scientific knowledge, solutions, and case studies on transformative change for biodiversity and equity.

Through shared learning exchanges, these sister projects build a collective evidence base for policy and practice across telecoupled landscapes.