Short abstract:

This paper reflects on digital twins' limitations in capturing biodiversity's multidimensional, relational aspects. Despite driving innovation, they pose sustainability challenges. These findings are contrasted with participatory fieldwork in a rural community to rethink biodiversity technologies

Long abstract:

Biodiversity is a complex concept and practice that differently assembles through policies, measurements, and community plans. This presentation draws on empirical data gathered from interviews, webinars and conferences, online meetings, project reports, and community-based fieldwork engaged with biodiversity. Focusing especially on biodiversity technologies that are predominantly developed and funded in northwest Europe, this research highlights how digital twins and their connected sensors and infrastructures omit the multidimensional and relational aspects of biodiversity. Digital twins are currently being developed through large-scale international funding programs that advance biodiversity as a technoscientific project. However, they overlook other crucial methods for creating knowledge about biodiversity. This paper articulates four digital logics that structure how biodiversity becomes monitored and understood within recent technological developments through intensified practices of capturing, connecting, simulating, and computing forested environments. While these ‘twinning’ logics drive advancements in predictive analytics and database creation, they also introduce constraints that may ultimately undermine the goals set forth by sustainability initiatives and governance. Lastly, this presentation contrasts these top-down developmental approaches with ongoing participatory fieldwork with a rural community in Netherlands to investigate how digital biodiversity data is used and gains meaning through simulation technologies in local settings. The paper thereby contributes more detailed insights into how digital biodiversity technologies can be rethought to better align with local biodiversity forest restoration efforts.