The RESIST project has made significant progress through active collaboration with IIASA's National Member Organizations (NMO). Key recent achievements include setting up collaborations with national researcher partners and consulting with local experts and stakeholders in respective case study regions (listed below).

For the Indian case study, we have identified specific research objectives focused on conservation and restoration of biodiversity. To this end, we have conducted local field campaigns in collaboration with local stakeholders and set up a network of data collection sites for which data on vegetation structure and forest dynamics have been elaborated in collaboration with local research partners.

For the Israel case study, despite of delays due to regional instability, an agreement on data sharing for PlantFATE model calibration has been established and will be finalized post-2024.

For the Brazil/UK case study, first measurement data available from the Amazon FACE site have been used for model calibration and preliminary results have been published in the Ecological Modelling journal.

For China, a call by the national natural science foundation of China (NSFC) has led to the elaboration of several research proposals, of which one led by IBF researcher Jinfeng Chang on ecosystem stability and resilience has been selected for funding.

These developments highlight recent advances in research on ecological modeling and conservation and further underscore the project's ongoing success in establishing collaborations with international research partners. For further details on specific research conducted in respective work package please also see the associated articles published on the IIASA NEXUS blog:

News

Route of the waterfalls with 14 waterfalls in corupa one of the last areas of the Atlantic forest in Brazil.

22 August 2024

Meeting ambitious restoration targets in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest

IIASA researchers contributed to a new study showing that efforts to meet restoration targets for the globally important, biodiversity rich forests found along Brazil’s Atlantic coast will only be effective with a sustainable intensification of cattle farming.
Beijing skyline

29 November 2023

Embracing ecological perspectives, tools, and models to navigate the digital economy

Digitalization has ushered in new markets worldwide and in BRICS countries. However, the concentration of market power and digital resources by only a handful of digital platform ecosystems (DPEs) has also triggered new governance challenges, particularly, for BRICS countries. As part of the dissemination process of the ECOANTITRUST initiative, Elena Rovenskaya delivered a presentation on the adoption of ecological insights and tools to improve understanding of the complex nature of digital platforms, their ecosystems, and their interactions with the wider economy.
Amazon Brazil

27 November 2023

A credible path for Brazil to reach net zero by 2050 depends on nature-based solutions

Without the implementation of nature-based solutions through actions such as halting deforestation and promoting large-scale native vegetation restoration, Brazil would jeopardize its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) pledges including achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050, according to a new study. The researchers also emphasize that stopping deforestation is the most important mitigation measure Brazil can take towards net zero while preventing biodiversity loss.