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Detecting social‐ecological fit in Natura 2000 governance and management: Evidence from LIFE projects focused on forest protected habitat types

Elena Andriollo,Elena Pisani,M. Masiero,T. Sitzia,T. Campagnaro

Published 2025 in People and Nature

ABSTRACT

Protected areas represent complex social‐ecological systems that require governance and management approaches that valorise and enhance positive relationships between people and nature. This study analyses the alignment between social and ecological systems to detect the social‐ecological fit of projects focused on biodiversity conservation and management. As a case study, the study analyses interactions between projects cofunded by the LIFE Programme and protected habitat types within the Natura 2000 network. Specifically, it focuses on forest habitat types because of the strict human–nature relationships characterising forest management, planning and conservation, and spatial and temporal dynamics of forests. This study uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) to analyse social–ecological relationships within Social‐Ecological Networks (SEN), aiming to verify strategies that address fit challenges in biodiversity conservation. Calculating descriptive network statistics and modelling Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) enables the identification of tendencies in relationships between projects, beneficiaries, and habitat types. The selection identified 85 LIFE projects implemented by 373 beneficiaries, which target 141 habitat types within 801 Natura 2000 sites. Network analysis highlights high fragmentation within partnerships, leading to spatial misfits. Target habitat types are diversified, demonstrating that LIFE projects operate within EU heterogeneous landscapes, including forests, among other habitat categories, and account for successional dynamics. The analysis detects reduced levels of collaboration between different types of beneficiaries. The results suggest further focusing on the social processes fostered by LIFE projects to ensure their long‐term sustainability and effectiveness, considering project coordination, coherence and social equity issues. The study demonstrates that the SEN approach offers a replicable, resource‐efficient methodology to assess biodiversity conservation projects' effectiveness across diverse contexts, aligning with global frameworks and providing insights through network analysis. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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