CurveBend’s Work Packages (WPs) are researchers and projects grouped by topic and region, while still maintaining inter- and transdisciplinary links. Learn more about each WP below.
WP1: the Netherlands
In the Netherlands (NL), we will compare various areas of collective action (so-called Living Labs) aimed at restoring characteristic grassland biodiversity in plants, invertebrates and birds. Our primary study sites will be in the provinces Noord- and Zuid-Holland, and Friesland; the wetter, lower parts of the country where dairy farming is an important rural land use. In most of NL, outside small remaining protected areas, this biodiversity has been lost in the last century, due to intensification of dairy farming practices. This intensification (need and capacity for more milk production per hectare) has been driven by a complex set of factors, including technological innovation, growing markets for international exports, income and production cost subsidies to farmers, consumers getting used to low prices, poor enforcement of environmental regulations and governmental interventions to promote agricultural production.
WP2: Argentina
In Argentina (AR), we compare two grassland-dominated regions along a climatic gradient, from temperate to tropical grasslands with decreasing latitude. We will compare different collective initiatives to preserve and restore grasslands graze-based livestock systems against the pressures of conversion to cropland for international export of wheat, maize and soybeans (sometimes imported into the Netherlands as concentrate). These pressures arise due to technological innovation (fertilisers, pesticides, ploughing heavy soils with tractors), growing capacity of farmers to purchase such technology, globalisation of market demands for bulk agricultural products such as wheat, maize and soybean and increasing demands. We will compare collectives in terms of degree of government support, connectivity to national and international markets, and type of regenerative practices such as rotational grazing, varying stocking densities, open range grazing versus fenced grazing and reseeding versus spontaneous grassland restoration.
WP3: East Africa
In East Africa (EA) we focus on the transboundary area between southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania, featuring a strong rainfall west-east gradient driven by elevational variation of the Rift valley system, and specifically the area covering south-east Narok county in Kenya and northern Ngorongoro district (Northern Loliondo) in Tanzania. This area has for the last 60 years become a mosaic of core protected areas (Maasai Mara National Reserve, Serengeti National Parks) that protects especially landscape-scale (annually over hundreds of kilometres) of large migratory wildlife as wildebeest and zebra. We will contrast collective practices of land management in Tanzania with subdivided and privatized land use in Kenya, and explore new arrangements to collectively manage land despite privatisation. This way, CurveBend will explore collective efforts to combat landscape fragmentation and sustain open rangelands, bridging ecological needs (e.g., migratory wildlife breeding areas) with pastoralist livelihoods (e.g., year-round grazing resources, dry season water access). In southern Kenya’s subdivided lands, we’ll study the formation of landowner collectives, ranging from grassroots community conservancies to investor-stimulated land lease agreements.
WP4: CurveBend Coordination & Synthesis
CurveBend is a large international consortium that requires strong coordination and integration across its different components. WP4 serves as the central coordinating body, responsible for overall project management, financial administration, and communication with both partners and the funding agency. It also organises regular meetings with project leaders, annual assemblies, and advisory sessions. Scientifically, WP4 synthesises insights from the other work packages, ensuring that knowledge is effectively integrated and disseminated both within the consortium and to wider audiences. A central task is to establish a cloud-based data management system, enabling consistent, transparent, and comparable results across teams. In essence, WP4 provides the organisational and scientific backbone of CurveBend, ensuring coherence, efficiency, and impact throughout the project.
WP5: Co-creation, Communication & Impact
CurveBend seeks to bridge divides across disciplines, sectors, and continents in order to address biodiversity loss. Central to this aim is WP5, working to foster mutual learning both locally and internationally—for example, among Dutch dairy farmers, Argentinian gauchos, and Maasai pastoralists, as well as between farmers and conservation managers in shared landscapes. Communication and exchange are positioned as core mechanisms for this process, overseen by WP5. Beyond traditional one-way methods of disseminating scientific results, CurveBend emphasises dialogue and the integration of local narratives. Such perspectives provide crucial insights into how community-level initiatives can generate wider societal change. By employing innovative, evidence-based methods, CurveBend enables two-way communication, cultivates cross-regional relationships, and contributes to transformative change that extends beyond the immediate study regions.