D3.1 Searching for the Common Ground - Exploring the LL sites together using participatory and art-based creative methods

This report describes a range of events conducted in the COEVOLVERS Living Labs under the Task 3.1. Searching for Common Ground. The aim of the Task was to apply various participatory methods to explore the LL/NBS sites (“places") together with the participants by sharing everyday experiences, feelings, and knowledge associated with the particular place and situation and in this way contribute to community building around the NBS to be explored and co-created. The activities used various participatory techniques and methods and focused on biophysical environment, meanings of the place and social or political processes associated with the place or the NBS developed. The choice of target group and methods used reflected the aim of the LLs, maturity in collaboration, characteristics of the site, as well as the familiarity to facilitate the participatory methods. Feedback and reflections was collected through the Users’ and Facilitators’ experience template. Overall, participants found activities engaging and informative, fostering the sense of community and generating concrete ideas for future collaboration. Practical lessons include time management, accommodating diverse participant backgrounds, and ensuring inclusivity in discussions. From the perspective of the LLs the events helped participants understand how place and its characteristics and NBS design and implementation are interconnected. They also made the stakeholders familiar with the participatory methods used in the Task 3.2. (Mapping the affordances) to explore the meanings of the multispecies living environments and in the Task 3.3. (Understanding the vulnerabilities) to examine the perceptions of vulnerabilities. The events also revealed or confirmed some of the key topics that need a special attention when the governance models are developed further in the WP4. Last but not least, the Searching for common ground events provided material for the design of Toolkit (developed under WP5, Actionable knowledge for transformative NBS) and for communication and dissemination (WP6).