Paper short abstract:

The contribution critically investigates the conceptualization of human-ecosystem relationships within transformative STI policy. It highlights epistemic frictions and opens the discussion on navigating contested STI policy perspectives.

Paper long abstract:

Following the conference theme, we aim to „frame transformations in STS terms and participate in making and doing them through mobilizing STS sensibilities “. More specifically, we engage into the framing of transformative innovation policy (Diercks et al., 2019) by opening up its conceptualization of human-ecosystem relationships, which remains strangely vague in spite of the strong normativity of ecosystem related goals such as “circular economy” within its portfolio.

We discuss experience from a recent project (EC 2023) on the integration of ecosystems-flourishing into a guiding framework for STI policy. Based on literature, we suggested three perspectives on hu-man-ecosystem relationship that differ fundamentally in key aspects and subsequent implications for STI policy:

1. Protecting and restoring: Distinctive human and nature spheres, managing the impact of human activities, minimising costs of (in-)action and environmental pressures

2. Co-shaping (Bennett et al., 2021): Navigating complex adaptive socio-ecological systems towards more sustainable pathways, maximising system resilience

3. Caring (Haraway, 2016; Latour, 2017): Negotiation and caring within a pluriverse of hybrid entities with relational agency, maximising flourishing life projects

Discussions with diverse audiences including actors involved in RTI policy development revealed an urge to embrace the caring perspective in order to achieve the transformative change required. At the same time we encountered strong frictions between such post human-centric ecosystem notions and classical RTI policy paradigms. We analyse these tensions and explore how pluralisation of key assumptions about humans and nature may contribute to an “STI policy towards more equitable and sustainable futures”.