Phoenix H2020 Final Conference

As the Phoenix H2020 project draws to a close, we share a reflection on our collective journey.

This video presents the contributions of the team from the Societies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group of the Centre for Functional Ecology – Science for People & the Planet, part of the Terra Associate Laboratory of the University of Coimbra, and its extension at the Open University of Portugal, during the final conference of the Phoenix H2020 project, held at the European Parliament in Brussels, on 4–5 June.

Coordinated by Giovanni Allegretti and co-coordinated by Sheila Holz, both from the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, the project also benefited from the overall coordination of Helena Freitas on behalf of the University of Coimbra, with the specific coordination of tasks related to the CFE-UC team led by Fátima Alves.

Over the past three and a half years, our participation in PHOENIX has taken shape through diverse contributions, combining research, action, and critical reflection. We have worked on several fronts:

• Deepening the understanding of the psycho-socio-cultural-legal construction of nature and its elements, questioning their invisibility in decision-making processes, structures, and mechanisms;
• Proposing and experimenting with democratic, just, and plural co-design methodologies — where elements of nature and future generations are also given a voice in shaping the multiple ecological transitions we face;
• Collaborating with local actors in the Gata-Malcata pilot, co-creating participatory processes rooted in territorial realities.

This is just one of many contributions that show that participation is not merely about including people — it is about reimagining who can participate, how, and on behalf of what.

The PHOENIX project comes to an end in July 2025, but the challenges we have addressed remain more relevant than ever.