Bioregional Participatory Action Research framework

Introduction

From climate change and biodiversity collapse to social inequality and geopolitical unrest, these are just a few of the many social and ecological crises we face. These crises do not exist in isolation, but are symptoms of a deeper issue: we are in ecological overshoot.

Ecological overshoot means we deplete resources faster than they regenerate, produce more waste than the earth can absorb, and destroy ecosystems in the process. We have already transgressed 6 out of 9 planetary boundaries that make up our planet’s life support system. If ecological overshoot is the root problem, then the root cause is our modern, industrial, colonial way of living, based on expansion and extractive capitalism. We cannot pursue endless economic growth on a finite planet. Solutions such as incremental progress, green growth and technological fixes often perpetuate this root cause and fail to offer a true alternative.

Bioregioning offers a different path. It is a meaningful response to our social and ecological issues that combines deep ecology with a place-based approach. For most of human history, people were native to their place. Bioregioning asks us to learn from this and asks the question: How can we once again live as an integral part of our ecosystem?

It starts with the bioregion: a region defined by natural boundaries such as watersheds and mountain ridges, instead of arbitrary political lines. A bioregion is a coherent and whole ecosystem that includes the unique human culture and local knowledge of that place. It is the largest unit we can still connect to- the largest place we can still call ‘our home’. The bioregion is the linking pin between global earth science and our local place, allowing us to think global and act local.

Bioregioning supports and aligns with regeneration: the intrinsic drive of living systems to continuously heal, adapt and self-organize into resilient, diverse and vibrant ecosystems. It is the work of belonging: a practice of coming home to our landscape, contributing to the local web of life and improving the socio-ecological conditions of our life-place.

The Bioregional Participatory Action Research (BPAR) framework offers a way to take action for bioregional regeneration. The BPAR framework adds ‘Bioregioning’ to ‘Participatory Action Research’ and describes the minimal elements required to do Action Research: “Execute 4 steps that ensure 12 outcomes while applying the 4 principles”. This makes the BPAR framework easy to remember and easy to use. For a deeper understanding and more information on every step, read the full BPAR guide after you read the BPAR framework.

Rivers of the North Sea Bioregion. Depicted are the watersheds of the rivers, instead of the nation-states of West Europe.

Intended use

BPAR is applicable when you have a problem, question or challenge where there is no best practice to follow and you need to discover what works. If a proven method already exists, we recommend using that method instead. BPAR gives a sense of orientation and direction: Where am I and what should I do?

The framework can be used fully from start to finish, in which writing a research article helps structure your initiative. It can also be used incidentally, alongside other frameworks, to reflect on your current situation and determine the next action or improve your strategy. Finally, the framework offers various frames, narratives and concepts to explain how you are regenerating a bioregion to others.

The framework is deliberately minimal and is meant to be adapted and extended to fit your local bioregional context. Use what works, discard what does not and add what is missing.

Steps and outcome: What to do

Execute four steps (bold) to answer the key question (italic) and ensure twelve outcomes (underlined and numbered). When using this framework from start to finish, write these outcomes in a research paper (blue headings) to share with others.

Step 1) find Direction: a Calling Enquiry

Introduction
Key question: Where are you heading?

• Formulate a Research question (1) and
• limit scope (2) geographically, relationally and conceptually.

Step 2) do Research: Connect & Explore

Initial exploration and literature review
Key question: Where are you now?

• Explore the landscape (3),
• Connect with stakeholders (4) and
• Perform a literature review (5).

Step 3) take Action: Collaborate & Experiment

Methods
Key question: “What can you do?”

Run experiment to test hypothesis:

• “Will Action (6) lead to
• Intended Outcome (7)?"
• Collaborate: Design for participation (8),
• Make sure to collect data and observations (9).

Step 4) harvest Wisdom: Community Evaluation

Results
Key question: How did it go?

• Analyse data and observations to validate hypothesis (10).

Conclusion and discussion

• Answer research question (11) and
• Determine next step (12) - a new BPAR cycle.

The steps can be remembered as DRAW: Direction, Research, Action and Wisdom, in which you Enquire, Explore, Experiment and Evaluate (EEEE). Also note the four C’s of participation: Call, Connect, Collaborate & Community - they are depicted as yellow figures.

Principles: How to do it

The steps tell you what to do and the principles tell you how to do it. These principles can be applied at every step to infuse them with the spirit of BPAR. As BPAR is a minimal framework, use these principles to guide your decisions in adapting and extending the framework for your local context. There are four principles that are based on the name: BPAR.

Every principle is formulated as a question and a value statement: “We value X over Y”. Which means that while Y might be useful at times, we prefer X when faced with a dilemma.

The Bioregional Principle

How are you listening or regenerating the Bioregion?
We value a deep ecological view over an anthropocentric view (Bio-)
We value a place-based view over a global view (-regional)

In order to add Bioregioning to Participatory Action Research, we must introduce a few key terms:

• Ecology: The study of the web of life - the relationships between organisms and their environment.
• Deep Ecology: Valuing all life on earth as inherently valuable. Recognizing our interdependence, human beings are viewed as part of nature - not separate or superior. Deep ecology cares for the wellbeing of all living things, including more-than-human life.
• Anthropocentric: Exclusively focusing on human needs, interests, values and constructs (such as the economy) while ignoring or dismissing the needs of more-than-human life, biophysical laws and the environment.
• Place-based: Taking the unique characteristics of a particular place into account, recognizing them as significant for effective action.
• Bioregion: A place defined by natural boundaries such as watersheds and mountain ridges, instead of arbitrary political lines. It is a coherent and whole ecosystem that includes the unique human culture and local knowledge of that place, and the largest place we can still meaningfully call ‘our home’.
• Regeneration: The innate and active drive of living systems to heal from disruption, adapt to new conditions, and continuously self-organize into more intricate and resilient patterns of existence.
• To regenerate: Working with nature – rather than against it – to actively restore the health, resilience and self-organizing capacity of the whole socio-ecological system.**

The Participatory Principle

How are you inviting people to Participate?
We value sharing over retaining (of information, decisions, resources, work, power)

As outlined in the introduction, our modern, industrial and colonial way of living is driving social inequality. To prevent power and wealth from accumulating and concentrating in a select few, we practice participation to share our information, decision, resources, work and power. Examples of applying the Participatory Principle are stewarding a commons or using sociocratic decision making.

The Action Principle

How are you taking Action for bioregional regeneration?
We value action for bioregional regeneration over thinking and talking.

Insight without action is nothing more than a good story. The Action principle invites you to explicitly formulate a theory of change: How will your actions lead to certain outcomes that in turn will contribute to bioregional regeneration? What data and observations can you collect to show progress?

The Research Principle

How are you Researching?
We value discovery and learning over delivery and performing.

The Research principle is based on the fact that discovery and learning are vital to navigate complex challenges. And complex challenges we have: Never before have we breached so many planetary boundaries, risked so many tipping points, or have been so deep in ecological overshoot. The socio-ecological crises we are facing today are unseen in magnitude, depth and complexity. We are in a situation that is novel, complex and quickly changing. Nobody has definitive answers and we cannot rely on what has worked in the past. Therefore, we must learn by discovering what works in the present.

The Research principle is most visible when you write a research article to structure your initiative from start to finish. However, even when you do not write a research article, the attitude of research is present in every step: staying curious, open-minded, listening and learning.

Too much focus on delivery and performance might lead to simplistic solutions that are ineffective or have unintended consequences. It can be an attempt to control nature rather than work with nature. Remember when we sprayed broad-spectrum pesticides like DDT to control pest insects, which unintentionally decimated bird populations and poisoned waterways?

These pillars visualize the value statement of ‘X’ over ‘Y’

• Bioregional: Bioregional over Anthropocentric & Global.
• Participatory: Sharing over Retaining.
• Action: Action over Thinking and Talking.
• Research: Discovery over Delivery.

How to apply the BPAR-principles at every DRAW-step

In the table below, you see how the principles can be applied at every step:

Next steps

Use the framework

Use BPAR to

• …find the next best action in an existing initiative.
• …structure an initiative from start to finish.
• …as a frame to explain to others what you are doing.
• …improve your strategy.

Read the BPAR guide to learn how.

Learn more about Bioregional Participatory Action Research

Read the BPAR guide and learn more:

• An introduction to Bioregoning and Participatory Action Research.
• A deep dive into the DRAW-steps and BPAR-principles.
• Additional models and methods to extend and adapt the framework.
• Further reading and resources to continue learning.

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