About the project

Why BALANSED exists

Europe wants a greener future - and that means asking more from its land and seas, not less.

More biomass for fuel and materials. More space for nature to recover. Secure livelihoods for the people who depend on land and sea.
Yet these decisions are still made in silos. Land here. Sea there. Too often without the voices of the people most affected.

The result

Unforeseen trade-offs, competing priorities, and decisions that communities neither own nor trust.

BALANSED changes that.

By bringing together land and sea, scientific evidence and lived experience, BALANSED helps Europe navigate its toughest choices transparently, inclusively, and effectively, ensuring decisions are made with people, not for them.

What we're setting out to do

BALANSED connects science with people's voices, helping regions choose land, sea and biomass futures that work in practice, not just on paper.

Because the best solutions are not only technically possible. They're the ones communities embrace and can live with for generations.

BALANSED will

  1. 01 Map what already exists.
    Review the policies shaping land, sea and biomass use across the EU and the real-world cases that show how they play out.
  2. 02 Build deliberation that reflects real communities.
    Design and test inclusive processes across 8 study regions, each shaped by its own context.
  3. 03 Turn narratives into evidence.
    Convert community perspectives into quantitative evidence that can be compared, measured and acted upon
  4. 04 Test it where it counts.
    Apply our tools and models in 6 local regions and 2 cross-regional cases, refined through real feedback - not a one-way handoff.
  5. 05 Leave something Europe can keep using.
    Creating a legacy Europe can build on: a deliberation protocol, an open-access toolkit, and practical policy briefs that any region can adopt and use
  6. 06 Build lasting partnerships.
    Connect BALANSED to Europe's wider research and policy community