As part of the PLANET4B Horizon Europe project, we facilitated a two-day workshop at the École Européenne de Bruxelles II Woluwé with students aged 15 to 18. Two different groups participated—one on Monday and one on Tuesday—each spending a full day engaged in participatory simulations exploring environmental governance, biodiversity conflicts, and community decision-making. Each day began with energiser activities led by the facilitator to ease participants into the program and prepare them for the structured role-play. In the morning, students played Global Forces, Local Faces, a negotiation game developed within the PLANET4B research project as an educational and research tool. The game was co-designed by a team including Dr. Ilkhom Soliev from the University of Warsaw and draws directly from interdisciplinary research on biodiversity decision-making. It is based on the real-world case of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil, where a 34-year struggle unfolded between government authorities, indigenous communities, farmers, fishers, and corporate actors over the construction of a large-scale dam in the Amazon rainforest.
In the game, students stepped into the roles of ministers, business executives, local leaders, indigenous representatives, environmental activists, and journalists within the fictional country of Baloria. The game simulated a legal dialogue assembly, convened following a class action lawsuit against the dam project. The aim was to find a shared solution that accounted for the diverse interests and values of all stakeholders involved. Over the course of three structured negotiation rounds, players debated the project’s social, ecological, and economic implications, formed alliances, issued public statements, and sought compromises. Journalists played an integral role, producing regular press briefings to report on the evolving negotiations. Throughout the simulation, event cards introduced real-world complexities—activist protests, influencer interventions, corruption scandals, and leaked agreements between state and industry—forcing participants to respond strategically and adapt to changing circumstances.
In the afternoon, participants took part in a second, shorter simulation that lasted around two hours. Simpler in structure but equally engaging, this game invited students to take on the roles of either farming families or household groups in a small community. Together, they were responsible for managing land, making collective decisions, and electing a mayor. While less complex than the morning activity, the game introduced its own challenges through event cards such as floods and earthquakes, which forced participants to adjust their plans and often led to the loss of points. The simulation offered a practical lens on the fragility of local governance systems and the limits of community-level decision-making under environmental and structural pressure.
The workshop offered students a structured and immersive opportunity to critically engage with the complex dynamics that influence environmental and social decision-making. By participating in two contrasting simulation games—one focused on national-level negotiations and the other on local governance—students explored how power relations, institutional roles, and competing interests shape outcomes for both people and ecosystems. The activities highlighted the tensions between state-driven development agendas and community-based needs, revealing how inclusive, participatory processes can play a vital role in navigating environmental conflicts and fostering more equitable, sustainable solutions.
