Nature living in, from, with, and as people: exploring a mirrored use of the Life Framework of Values

The Life Frames of Values, recently endorsed by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, articulate four different ways nature matters to people living in, from, with, and as nature. These frames distinguish value perceptions of, and ways to communicate about, the living world. We look to expand understandings of nature in the Life framework by exploring whether the Life Frames could be mirrored to capture how the more-than-human natural world may relate to people. We explore 1) how nature living in, from, with, and as people could be understood, and 2) whether two-way nature–people value frames add value to the framework and current sustainable development discourse. While ‘living from’ and ‘living with’ can be symmetrical two-way relations, the ‘living in’ and ‘as’ have a directional point of reference. The four ‘mirrored’ frames may contribute meaningful nuances and clarification to the existing framing of people–nature relations, while raising questions for further exploration in science and policy.