# Online citizen dialogue on biodiversity conservation and citizen participation: A cross-cultural deliberation between Taiwan and Japan

## TL;DR

This study explores how cross-cultural online dialogues between Taiwan and Japan can enhance self-awareness and collaboration for biodiversity conservation and citizen participation.

## Contribution

It introduces cross-cultural online citizen dialogue as a novel method to foster reflexivity and sustainability transformation.

## Key findings

- Cross-cultural dialogue increased self-awareness of cultural inheritance's role in sustainability.
- Trust and collaboration boundaries expanded through dialogue.
- Participants showed improved attitudes toward dialogue and urgency for sustainability issues.

## Abstract

This study empirically explored the possibility of nurturing and cultivating reflexivity capacity at the small-group level through cross-cultural online citizen dialogue on biodiversity conservation and citizens’ role using a method of reflecting, connecting Taiwan and Japan. The study found that cross-cultural dialogue improved self-awareness of cultural inheritance as a hindering and promoting factor for sustainability transformation in one’s own cultural community. The dialogue also expanded the perceived boundary of collaboration measured by trust score/ratio. It also brought about the positive change in self-reported attitude toward dialogue with a person holding different views, and of urgency/significance self-assessment of sustainability transformation issues, that is, biodiversity conservation and citizen participation. The institutionalization of cross-cultural citizen dialogue in collective decision-making processes, such as those of the United Nations, and reflexivity capacity building, both at the small-group and population levels through citizen dialogue connecting different cultural groups, are suggested for sustainability transformation.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-025-02209-6.