Reflexivity-Situatedness Matrix: An intervention-centered analytical framework to enable transformations through transdisciplinary partnerships

The Transformative Change assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) calls for an urgent transformative change for a just and biodiversity-rich world (IPBES, 2024). The need for such transformative change is well recognized in funding calls and relevant policies dedicated to addressing social-ecological challenges with, for example, transformations, interventions, and leverage points on the one hand, and transdisciplinary partnerships on the other hand, having become core terminology in recent years. However, a greater understanding is still needed as to how specifically partnership-based working can enable transformations. This knowledge gap is particularly evident in efforts to address biodiversity loss, a critical issue often neglected in transdisciplinary research and decision-making. To bridge this gap, we developed the Reflexivity-Situatedness Matrix (RSM)—an intervention-centered analytical framework that allows simultaneous and critical discussion of desired transformations and means to achieve them. Here we demonstrate how the RSM supports research interventions for biodiversity prioritization across multiple levels of decision-making. In particular, it takes into account equity and equality considerations such as power asymmetries inherent to transdisciplinary partnerships. Delving into the literature on transformations and partnerships and using the RSM, we suggest a refined theoretical understanding of transformations and interventions to facilitate them. We do so by drawing on our experience from a transdisciplinary Horizon Europe project, PLANET4B. Our work can serve as a guide for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to build transdisciplinary partnerships and facing the challenge of identifying and operationalizing transformative interventions.