Future Island-Island Impact Cards: Rewilding the Board: Co-Designing More-than-Human Governance

Challenge
How might co-design support a cultural organisation in developing a
governance model that brings nature onto the board? This project supports
FutureEverything’s ambition to grant nature a formal voice, and voting rights,
within its governance. The aim is to align decision-making with principles of
planetary stewardship and more-than-human justice, and to translate these
into everyday practices.
Approach
This project engaged members of a working group to co-develop steps toward
more-than-human governance and identify key considerations. It reviewed
relevant literature and organisational documents to inform the approach.
Multi-level perspective tools were developed and adapted to support online
conversations and interactions, contextualised for governance restructuring
that includes nature as an active participant.
Outcomes
A digital prototype of a database containing a repertoire of practices that
reimagine civic participation in more-than-human worlds was developed.
It includes tools and sequences used to guide engagement, refined
through participant feedback. The repertoire aligns with the commitments
of FutureEverything and Future Island-Island to open-source resources,
supporting other organisations exploring more-than-human governance.
Learnings
To move beyond symbolic representation and toward meaningful change, the
more-than-human needs to be integrated into governance through everyday
organisational practices. This involves translating values and principles into
practical actions that keep nature’s presence active and tangible. Bringing
nature onto the board becomes a way to reground human decision-making in
relationships of care and shared responsibility.
Impact
Research has informed new governance frameworks detailing nature’s
legal participation on FutureEverything’s board. This includes defining the
organisation’s rights and responsibilities, informing the role of a Nature
Director, and outlining a supporting set of values, protocols and practices. The
repertoire of practices will now be implemented, contributing to the ongoing
embedding of nature into day-to-day decision-making.