Presentation short abstract

Stewardship practices are vital for addressing global change but are often overlooked in governance and science. To help make them visible and actionable, I share key findings from a thematic issue focused on embedding community stewardship in concrete actions.

Presentation long abstract

While Nature’s Contributions to People have been identified and classified for some time, research on the human activities that actively and positively support nature has only recently begun to develop in depth. These stewardship practices—ranging from everyday care for local ecosystems to community-led conservation initiatives—embody the reciprocal and interdependent relationship between humans and the natural world. They are essential for understanding how societies can adapt to accelerating global environmental changes. Yet, calls to integrate community stewardship into policy and planning, concrete shifts in governance remain limited. The obstacles to implementing stewardship-based transformative change, as well as the mechanisms for scaling and supporting such practices, remain insufficiently understood.

To help fill this gap and provide timely insights for the upcoming COP17, scheduled to take place in Armenia in November 2026, I present the main findings of a thematic issue examining the role of stewardship practices in linking rural and urban nature. The contributions explore how diverse forms of stewardship connect (agro-)ecosystems, human and non-human populations, and specific species—including cultural keystone species that hold ecological, cultural, and social significance. Together, these studies highlight the potential of stewardship to serve as a bridge between Indigenous and local knowledge, community action, and institutional decision-making. The thematic issue also examines how stewardship principles can be incorporated into policies and guidelines to improve environmental management, strengthen biodiversity conservation, and foster more resilient and inclusive socio-ecological systems.