The BEC Group develops and applies state-of-the art ecological knowledge, methods, and tools to understand ecosystem functioning, biodiversity change, and feedbacks in coupled social-economic-ecological systems. We use this knowledge to develop management options to achieve biodiversity and sustainability goals
The BEC group is the institute’s hub of applied ecology and conservation research. The group provides the needed ecological and conservation insights to help IIASA promote institutional, demographic, behavioral, technological, social, and economic changes that achieve development goals sustainably.
The group’s key research areas include:
- Ecological responses to natural and anthropogenic drivers of change, for example, land and water management and climate change.
- How to prioritize conservation efforts to maximize positive impacts at scales from local to global (e.g., habitat restoration and conservation, and species management plans).
- How species and ecosystems contribute to selected ecosystem services and human wellbeing.
Models, tools, datasets
Projects
Staff
News
17 November 2023
Prioritizing land to avoid species extinction
02 November 2023
Rubber trees and deforestation: quantifying the impact of rubber production on tropical forests and biodiversity
28 June 2023
Martin Jung receives 2023 European Early Career Conservation Award
Events
Focus
07 February 2024
Rainforest gets digital twin
One of the most species-rich rainforests in southern Costa Rica is being digitally recreated. IIASA researcher Florian Hofhansl explains how the project intends to map the biodiversity and health status of the rainforest and attract sponsors.
11 November 2023
IIASA trailblazers: Celebrating excellence in 2023
Publications
O'Connor, L., Cosentino, F., Harfoot, M., Maiorano, L., Mancino, C., Pollock, L., & Thuiller, W. (2024). Vulnerability of terrestrial vertebrate food webs to anthropogenic threats in Europe. Global Change Biology 30 (3) e17253. 10.1111/gcb.17253. Hackländer, J., Parente, L., Ho, Y.-F., Hengl, T., Simoes, R., Consoli, D., Şahin, M., Tian, X., Jung, M., Herold, M., Duveiller, G., Weynants, M., & Wheeler, I. (2024). Land potential assessment and trend-analysis using 2000–2021 FAPAR monthly time-series at 250 m spatial resolution. PeerJ 12 e16972. 10.7717/peerj.16972. Folberth, C. , Wood, S., Wironen, M., Jung, M., Boucher, T., Bossio, D., & Obersteiner, M. (2024). Exploring the potential for nitrogen fertilizer use mitigation with bundles of management interventions. Environmental Research Letters 10.1088/1748-9326/ad31d8. (In Press) Hesselbarth, M. & Wiegand, K. (2024). A simulation study comparing common methods for analyzing species–habitat associations of plants. Journal of Vegetation Science 35 (2) e13243. 10.1111/jvs.13243. Lewis, C.H.M., Little, K., Graham, L., Kettridge, N., & Ivison, K. (2024). Diurnal fuel moisture content variations of live and dead Calluna vegetation in a temperate peatland. Scientific Reports 14 (1) 10.1038/s41598-024-55322-z. Jung, M., Boucher, T.M., Wood, S.A., Folberth, C. , Wironen, M., Thornton, P., Bossio, D., & Obersteiner, M. (2024). A global clustering of terrestrial food production systems. PLoS ONE 19 (2) e0296846. 10.1371/journal.pone.0296846. Henry, E.G., Santini, L., Butchart, S.H.M., González‐Suárez, M., Lucas, P.M., Benítez‐López, A., Mancini, G., Jung, M., Cardoso, P., Zizka, A., Meyer, C., Akçakaya, H.R., Berryman, A.J., Cazalis, V., & Di Marco, M. (2024). Modelling the probability of meeting IUCN Red List criteria to support reassessments. Global Change Biology 30 (1) e17119. 10.1111/gcb.17119. Dou, Y., Zagaria, C., O'Connor, L., Thuiller, W., & Verburg, P.H. (2023). Using the Nature Futures Framework as a lens for developing plural land use scenarios for Europe for 2050. Global Environmental Change 83 e102766. 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102766. Martins, N.P., Valverde‐Barrantes, O., Fuchslueger, L., Lugli, L.F., Grandis, A., Hofhansl, F. , Takeshi, B., Ushida, G., & Quesada, C.A. (2023). Fine root presence and increased phosphorus availability stimulate wood decay in a central Amazonian rainforest. Oikos 2 e09996. 10.1111/oik.09996. Gaüzère, Pierre, Botella, Christophe, Poggiato, Giovanni, O’Connor, Louise, Di Marco, Moreno, Dragonetti, Chiara, Maiorano, Luigi, Renaud, Julien, & Thuiller, Wilfried (2023). Dissimilarity of vertebrate trophic interactions reveals spatial uniqueness but functional redundancy across Europe. Current Biology 33 (23) 5263-\-5271.e3. 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.069.