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
![Urbanization in Africa](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2024-05/dreamstime_l_196302080.jpg?itok=umzoFlFk)
30 May 2024
Rapid urbanization in Africa transforms local food systems and threatens biodiversity
![Dehydrated earth or farmland with corn plant struggling for life in dry cracked earth.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2024-04/dreamstime_m_15065652.jpg?itok=IbeULLuQ)
25 April 2024
Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century
![The world in a drop of water on a leaf. Elements of this image furnished by NASA](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2024-04/dreamstime_m_32433355.jpg?itok=Nyweao-5)
22 April 2024
Marta Kozicka is National Champion for Austria in prestigious Frontiers Planet Prize
Events
Focus
27 June 2024
Exploring plant-based food alternatives to advance global sustainability
![food](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2024-06/dreamstime_m_258453725.jpg?itok=r-0G6pHs)
11 November 2023
Communicating research into climate mitigation policies
![Options 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2023-11/dreamstime_m_98694067.jpg?itok=3HODw2u1)
Publications
Pashanejad Silab, E., Kharrazi, A. , Araujo Gutierrez, Z., Robinson, B., Fath, B. , & Parrott, L. (2024). A functional connectivity approach for exploring interactions of multiple ecosystem services in the context of agricultural landscapes in the Canadian prairies. Ecosystem Services 68 e101639. 10.1016/j.ecoser.2024.101639. Vangi, E., Dalmonech, D., Morichetti, M., Grieco, E., Giannetti, F., D’Amico, G., Nakhavali, A., Chirici, G., & Collalti, A. (2024). Stand Age and Climate Change Effects on Carbon Increments and Stock Dynamics. Forests 15 (7) e1120. 10.3390/f15071120. Grünig, M., Rammer, W., Albrich, K., André, F., Derci Augustynczik, A.L., Bohn, F., Bouwman, M., Bugmann, H., Collalti, A., Cristal, I., Dalmonech, D., De Caceres, M., De Coligny, F., Dobor, L., Dollinger, C., Forrester, D.I., Garcia-Gonzalo, J., González, J.R., Hiltner, U., Hlásny, T., Honkaniemi, J., Huber, N., Jonard, M., Maria Jönsson, A., Lagergren, F., Nieberg, M., Mina, M., Mohren, F., Moos, C., Morin, X., Muys, B., Peltoniemi, M., Reyer, C., Storms, I., Thom, D., Toïgo, M., & Seidl, R. (2024). A harmonized database of European forest simulations under climate change. Data in Brief 54 e110384. 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110384. De Vos, K., Janssens, C., Jacobs, L., Campforts, B., Boere, E., Kozicka, M. , Leclère, D., Havlík, P. , Hemerijckx, L.-M., Van Rompaey, A., Maertens, M., & Govers, G. (2024). African food system and biodiversity mainly affected by urbanization via dietary shifts. Nature Sustainability 10.1038/s41893-024-01362-2. (In Press) Pedraza, C.G.A., Lauri, P., Derci Augustynczik, A.L., & Thomas, V.M. (2024). Managing Forests for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Mitigation. Environmental Science & Technology 10.1021/acs.est.3c07163. (In Press) Minetto Gellert Paris, J., Escobar Lanzuela, N. , Falkenberg, T., Gupta, S., Heinzel, C., Verly Junior, E., Jolliet, O., Borgemeister, C., & Nöthlings, U. (2024). Optimised diets for achieving One Health: A pilot study in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolis in Germany. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 106 e107529. 10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107529.