Evaluating and expanding the European Union's protected-area network toward potential post-2020 coverage targets

The Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) strategic plan will expire in 2020, but biodiversity loss is ongoing. Scientists call for more ambitious targets in the next agreement. The nature-needs-half movement, for example, has advocated conserving half of Earth to solve the biodiversity crisis, which has been translated to protecting 50 of each ecoregion. We evaluated current protection levels of ecoregions in the territory of one of the CBD's signatories, the European Union (EU). We also explored the possible enlargement of the Natura 2000 network to implement 30 or 50 ecoregion coverage in the EU member states’ protected area (PA) network. Based on the most recent land-use data, we examined whether ecoregions have enough natural area left to reach such high coverage targets. We used a spatially explicit mixed integer programing model to estimate the least-cost expansion of the PA network based on 3 scenarios that put different emphasis on total conservation cost, ecological representation of ecosystems, or emphasize an equal share of the burden among member states. To realize 30 and 50 ecoregion coverage, the EU would need to add 6.6 and 24.2, respectively, of its terrestrial area to its PA network. For all 3 scenarios, the EU would need to designate most recommended new PAs in seminatural forests and other semi- or natural ecosystems. Because 15 ecoregions did not have enough natural area left to implement the ecoregion-coverage targets, some member states would also need to establish new PAs on productive land, allocating the largest share to arable land. Thirty percent ecoregion coverage was met by protecting remaining natural areas in all ecoregions except 3, where productive land would also need to be included. Our results support discussions of higher ecoregions protection targets for post-2020 biodiversity frameworks. © 2020 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology

A framework for modelling soil structure dynamics induced by biological activity

Acknowledgments: This work was funded by the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS) in the project “Soil structure and soil degradation: improved model tools to meet sustainable development goals under climate and land use change” (grant no. 2018-02319). We would also like to thank Mikael Sasha Dooha for carrying out the measurements for the water retention curves shown in figure 4.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Nature Futures Framework, a flexible tool to support the development of scenarios and models of desirable futures for people, nature and Mother Earth, and its methodological guidance

In line with its mandate, the IPBES task force on scenarios and models developed a methodological guidance to accompany the foundations of the Nature Futures Framework, a flexible tool to support the development of scenarios and models of desirable futures for people, nature and Mother Earth, welcomed by the IPBES Plenary in decision IPBES-9/1. The methodological guidance was further refined by the task force, and reviewed by the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel and the Bureau in May 2023. The current version was presented at IPBES 10 in document IPBES/10/INF/13 in August 2023. The methodological guidance document consists of two parts: Part I: The Foundations of the Nature Futures Framework, a flexible tool to support the development of scenarios and models of desirable futures for people, nature and Mother Earth, describing the rationale for, and concepts captured in, the Nature Futures Framework; and Part II: A living methodological guidance that introduces the various methods with which the Nature Futures Framework can be used, and points to examples and additional resources for readers who wish to explore further technical details

Africa Assessment: Chapter 5 Systematic Review Database

Systematic review database: results of the classification and analysis of scientific papers and reports, published between 2005 and 2016, that deal with scenarios of biodiversity and/or ecosystem services in Africa.</p

Africa assessment: Appendix 1.1 Methodology for Figure SPM.2

Appendix 1.1 Methodology for Figure SPM.2</p

Africa assessment: Appendix 2.1 Synthesis of information on ecological and socio-economic benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services in Africa

Appendix 2.1 Synthesis of information on ecological and socio-economic benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services in Africa</p