The endogenous action space in urban biodiversity governance: Socio-political fragmentation, serendipity of agency, and value articulation strategies

Abstract

Rapid and inclusive approaches to biodiversity conservation globally depend on recognizing the multiple values of nature and shifting away from purely economic valuation towards the inclusion of more plural values. However, issues of power, politics, and agency in local level environmental governance contexts remain critically under-examined in regard to working with plural values. In this paper, we shine a spotlight on urban biodiversity conservation as a contested political context for negotiating diverse values and interests. We study and develop the notion of the endogenous action space of urban biodiversity governance through civil servants’ perceptions of their political and organizational working contexts, agency, and strategies to articulate for biodiversity values in their organizational positions. We employed a case study approach and drew on social constructivism to conduct interviews with 15 civil servants engaged in biodiversity-related work in seven municipalities in the northern Stockholm region, Sweden, and two authorities in the County Administrative Board of Stockholm. Our results exemplify the fragmented socio-political realities and diversity in related action space in local government organizations in which these individuals work. Furthermore, we show that biodiversity governance is shaped by the ‘serendipity of agency’, which gives rise to a subjectivity of actions largely enabled by relationships and constrained by a lack of resources. Additionally, civil servants articulating for biodiversity value employ multiple strategies that diversify their roles beyond their immediate areas of expertise. We conclude by discussing our findings in relation to the transformative ideals of biodiversity governance.