Global biodiversity loss is occurring at an unprecedented rate, driven by root causes such as inadequate governance, weak cross-sectoral planning, inequity, unsustainable production and consumption patterns, and narrow societal values. These drivers underpin complex and persistent problems in biodiversity conservation, including human-wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation, and the marginalisation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Such challenges typically involve multiple stakeholders with competing interests and unequal resources and capacities, making good governance increasingly difficult, especially in a context of geopolitical tensions and funding constraints. This complexity is amplified in transboundary conservation, where cooperation across international boundaries is essential to achieving conservation goals. Well-governed Transboundary Conservation Areas are critical for ecological connectivity, protection of migratory species, and enhancing climate change responses, while also supporting socio-economic, cultural, political, research, and management objectives. ACT examines how transboundary governance (based on shared decision-making, collaboration, adaptation, integration, and pluralism) can enable system-wide societal transformation to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, strengthen social-ecological resilience, and support the achievement of global and European biodiversity targets.
