A full room at the Biosphere Reserve Institute (BRI) marked the first BRI Research Seminar of the semester, with a presentation by visiting doctoral researcher Niko Nesterinen from the University of Eastern Finland. The seminar was moderated by Prof. Martin Welp and provided space for discussion and exchange among BRI colleagues and visiting researchers.

Niko Nesterinen is a doctoral researcher in the Responsive Natural Resources Governance Research Group at the University of Eastern Finland and is currently undertaking a research stay at the BRI. His research focuses on the localisation of sustainability transformations through collaborative and networked governance, with particular attention to UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and stakeholder participation.

In his presentation, “Plural and Unsettled: Meaning-Making of Sustainable Development in the North Karelia Biosphere Reserve”, Niko introduced his doctoral research, focusing particularly on local meaning-making processes related to sustainability. He explored how different understandings of sustainable development are produced, negotiated and contested within environmental collaboration arrangements in the North Karelia Biosphere Reserve, and what these processes reveal about the localisation of sustainability transformations.

The seminar also featured Dr. Sandra Hoomans, Lecturer at the School of Finance & Accounting at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, who is currently spending a short research stay at the BRI. She introduced her research at the intersection of biodiversity and finance, bringing an additional perspective to the interdisciplinary exchange.

The presentations were followed by a lively discussion, giving participants the opportunity to explore the topics raised by both researchers, identify common interests and exchange perspectives with the wider BRI team.

The occasion also provided an opportunity to welcome Dr. Alebel Melaku, who joined the BRI this month as a new postdoctoral researcher. He will be part of the BRI team for the next two years as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow.

With contributions spanning sustainability transformations in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and the links between biodiversity and finance, the first BRI Research Seminar of the semester brought together different research perspectives and provided a valuable space for interdisciplinary exchange within the institute.