Digital Design-Driven Innovation for Natural Capital: Design-oriented digital innovation processes to advance the economies of conservation and management of Natural Capital

This doctoral research investigates how design methodologies can enhance the adoption and effectiveness of digital technologies for the conservation and management of natural capital. The study situates design at the intersection of technology, ecology, and governance, addressing the persistent gap between technological potential and its practical implementation in environmental management. The research recognises that while advanced digital tools for monitoring and decision support exist, their integration within protected areas is often hindered by institutional fragmentation, limited digital literacy, and a lack of participatory processes. Adopting a mixed-method and research-through-design approach, the thesis combines theoretical inquiry, comparative analysis, and empirical experimentation across seven international case studies, leading to the development of a conceptual and methodological framework for design-driven environmental innovation. The proposed Co-Design Methodology for Environmental Systems was validated through a living lab and a pilot project in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, resulting in the Natural Capital Dashboard, a decision-support prototype integrating heterogeneous environmental data into a unified and accessible platform. Findings demonstrate that design-driven approaches significantly enhance usability, accessibility, and stakeholder ownership of conservation technologies, transforming digital systems into meaningful, adoptable, and context-sensitive tools. The study identifies accessibility, adaptability, and continuous co-design as key principles for effective environmental dashboards, confirming that participatory design fosters trust, knowledge integration, and legitimacy among diverse actors. The thesis contributes theoretically by framing environmental technologies as socio- technical interfaces, methodologically by establishing a replicable co-design process, and practically by delivering validated design guidelines and a working prototype. Overall, the research demonstrates that design can bridge the gap between techno- logical innovation and conservation practice, promoting adaptive, inclusive, and su- stainable management of natural capital.