The research focus of IBF is the integrated modeling of natural resources and ecosystems management using IIASA models such as the Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM) for the development of transformations in food and bio-based sectors that enable satisfying human needs while ensuring the sustainable use of terrestrial and marine environments.
The IBF Group strives to bring about transformations in the use and management of terrestrial, fresh water, and marine ecosystems for “happy people on a healthy planet” by informing national and international policies, and by engaging with businesses and civil society. For this, the group relies on a suite of well-established models, including the Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM) and the Global Forest Model (G4M), as well as its reputation as a credible partner in concrete policy/regulatory processes.
The group’s key research areas include:
- Land, water, and oceans management focusing on primary producers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries and their impact on the environment, including land-based climate change mitigation.
- Bio-based sectors integrating consumers and producers across food, fibre, and fuel supply chains.
- Shocks, adaptation, and resilience within bio-based sectors including weather extremes.
- Food, nutrition, and poverty, as the main social outcomes of land, water, and oceans use.
- Integrated biosphere foresight and solutions developing forward-looking scenarios for the assessment of potential synergies and trade-offs between relevant Sustainable Development Goals at regional and global scales, and exploring national and international options for their achievement to inform policymaking.
Projects
Staff
News

27 January 2023
Farming more seaweed to be food, feed, and fuel

24 January 2023
Supporting evidence-based policymaking in The Gambia

15 November 2022
IIASA researchers once again among the world’s most highly cited
Focus

20 January 2023
Understanding the link between biodiversity and land-use management
Meet Cindy Azuero-Pedraza, a participant in the 2022 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program. Learn about her forestry research in the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program, where she worked with the Integrated Biosphere Futures Research Group to incorporate biodiversity data into forest management decisions.
20 January 2023
Securing sustainable and resilient food systems for The Gambia

29 November 2022
The value of inclusivity

Publications
Vergarechea, M., Astrup, R., Fischer, C., Øistad, K., Blattert, C., Hartikainen, M., Eyvindson, K., Di Fulvio, F., Forsell, N., Burgas, D., Toraño-Caicoya, A., Mönkkönen, M., & Antón-Fernández, C. (2023). Future wood demands and ecosystem services trade-offs: A policy analysis in Norway. Forest Policy and Economics 147 e102899. 10.1016/j.forpol.2022.102899.
Spillias, S., Valin, H. , Batka, M. , Sperling, F., Havlik, P. , Leclere, D., Cottrell, R.S., O’Brien, K.R., & McDonald-Madden, E. (2023). Reducing global land-use pressures with seaweed farming. Nature Sustainability 10.1038/s41893-022-01043-y. (In Press)
Addo, F. & Palazzo, A. (2023). Securing sustainable and resilient food systems for The Gambia. IIASA Policy Brief. Laxenburg, Austria: PB-36
Joseph, J., van Dijk, M., & Krisztin, T. (2023). Do Large Estates Benefit Smallholder Neighbours? Evidence from Malawi. The Journal of Development Studies 1-23. 10.1080/00220388.2022.2147831.
Ren, M., Ma, T., Fang, C., Liu, X., Guo, C., Zhang, S., Zhou, Z., Zhu, Y., Dai, H., & Huang, C. (2023). Negative emission technology is key to decarbonizing China's cement industry. Applied Energy 329 e120254. 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120254.
Kokemohr, L., Escobar Lanzuela, N. , Mertens, A., Mosnier, C., Pirlo, G., Veysset, P., & Kuhn, T. (2022). Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of European beef production systems based on a farm-level optimization model. Journal of Cleaner Production 379 e134552. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134552.