Most sustainability initiatives require some form of change in human behaviour. Many policies aimed at influencing decision-making are still based on the economic model of the “rational actor.” Yet research shows that people are influenced by social norms, relationships, and the behaviour of others. Cognitive biases and limited information also shape how decisions are made.
These insights suggest that behaviour change cannot be understood purely at the level of individuals. Values and preferences often emerge through social interaction, shared narratives, and collective reflection. Recognising this opens new possibilities. Dialogue, deliberation, and collaborative learning can help communities explore shared values, build trust, and shape decisions together.
The papers below explore how values form, how they influence behaviour, and how they can be engaged constructively in sustainability practice.
Foundations of relational value
Relational values: what are they, and what’s the fuss about?
This 2018 editorial by Kai Chan, Rachelle Gould and Unai Pascual traces the origins and evolution of relational values in sustainability science. It explores how relational values can support transformative change, particularly by integrating perspectives from social sciences and environmental management.
Three perspectives on relational values of nature
This 2019 paper by Sanna Stålhammar and Henrik Thorén introduces relational values as a third category alongside intrinsic and instrumental values. It discusses how this concept can bridge disciplinary perspectives and provide a richer framework for ecosystem valuation. The concept also has potential to function as a ‘boundary object’ to provide cross-fertilization of disciplinary perspectives.
Sustainability-aligned values: exploring the concept, evidence, and implications for practice
This 2023 paper by Adrian Martin and colleagues examines how relational values—such as stewardship, responsibility, care, affection, reciprocity, and harmony with nature—are integral to fostering positive human-nature relationships. The authors discuss how these values can be cultivated through social processes, providing practitioners with strategies to encourage sustainable behaviours within communities.
Quantifying relational values – why not?
Schulz and Martin-Ortega (2018) review why most relational values research has relied on qualitative approaches. They suggest that quantitative methods could complement existing work while still recognising value pluralism. The paper highlights how different research traditions can be combined to better understand relationships between people and nature.
Values in environmental decision-making
Diverse values of nature for sustainability
This paper by Unai Pascual et al (2023)explores various perspectives on the values of nature, including intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values. It highlights the importance of acknowledging and integrating these diverse values in sustainability practices to ensure inclusive and effective environmental management. The authors suggest practical approaches for practitioners to engage with different stakeholder values in decision-making processes.
The importance of relational values in river management: understanding enablers and barriers for effective participation
This 2020 paper by Simon Mould, Kirstie Fryirs and Richard Howitt explores how relational values—connections between people and the environment—motivate participation in river management. It identifies key enablers, such as social networks and practitioner relationships, that support meaningful engagement in sustainability initiatives.
Introducing Relational Values as a Tool for Shark Conservation, Science, and Management
Rachel Skubel, Meryl Shriver-Rice and Gina Maranto apply relational values to shark conservation in this 2019 paper, examining how different groups—scientists, fishers, media, and the public—develop values around sharks. They discuss how recognising multiple perspectives can help address conflicts in conservation and management.
Understanding how values shape behaviour
The study of human values in understanding and managing social-ecological systems
Natalie Jones and colleagues review how different types of values shape human–environment relationships and decision-making. This 2016 paper distinguishes between held values, assigned values, and relational values, and explains how these influence behaviour and governance in social–ecological systems. It provides a useful conceptual overview for researchers and practitioners seeking to integrate values more explicitly into environmental management and collaborative decision processes.
From Values to Behavior: Proposition of an Integrating Model
Othmane Aride and Maria-del-Mar Pàmies-Pallisé’s 2019 study presents a model linking human values to behaviour, highlighting the role of consequences in shaping decision-making. The paper calls for further research into how values influence sustainability-related behaviours.
Caring for nature matters: a relational approach for understanding nature’s contributions to human well-being
Kurt Jax and colleagues explore how the concept of care applies to nature in this 2018 paper, drawing from (eco)feminist philosophy and conservation research. They introduce a framework for understanding how caring for nature influences both environmental protection and human well-being.
Debates about values and change
Indigenous worldviews and relational values
This 2019 paper by Rachelle Gould, Manu Pai, Barbara Muraca and Kai Chan applies the concept of relational values to Indigenous Hawaiian worldviews, illustrating how values such as reciprocity and balance shape sustainability practices. It highlights the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives into environmental decision-making.
Why social values cannot be changed for the sake of conservation
Michael Manfredo and colleagues argue in this 2017 paper that values are generally stable across generations and that efforts to deliberately shift them for conservation are unlikely to be effective. Instead, they advocate for strategies that work within existing value structures to improve conservation outcomes.
Making sense of environmental values: a typology of concepts
Marc Tadaki, Jim Sinner and Kai Chan’s 2017 paper explores different ways environmental values are conceptualised, presenting four key approaches: values as preference magnitudes, contributions to goals, individual priorities, and relations. The paper encourages a shift from theoretical debates to practical discussions on environmental democracy and citizen engagement.
Shared values and deliberative valuation: Future directions
This 2016 paper by Jasper Kenter and colleagues discusses how valuation processes often overlook shared, collective, and cultural meanings of ecosystems. It presents key findings on deliberative valuation and identifies 35 future research questions across topics such as participation, ethics, and social justice. Another useful 2016 paper by Kenter and colleagues is: The impact of information, value-deliberation and group-based decision-making on values for ecosystem services: Integrating deliberative monetary valuation and storytelling.
Ecosystem services and the idea of shared values
Katherine Irvine, Liz O’Brien and colleagues explore how shared values emerge through social processes in this 2016 paper, proposing a metanarrative that considers both individual and communal values in sustainability decision-making.
Work on sustainability transitions often involves several connected layers of change. Related pages on this site explore how paradigms and collective identity shape possibilities for action, how behaviour change interventions are designed, and how practices evolve within organisations and communities. Related pages on this site explore practical approaches working with values in sustainability practice including dialogue and negotiation, models to facilitate dialogue, managing conflict, and developing collaborative networks.
[* Photo: Milford Track – Will Allen]