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
Navigating European forests and forest bioeconomy sustainably to EU climate neutrality (ForestNavigator)
Modelling INdividual Decisions to Support The European Policies related to agriculture (MIND STEP)
Land Management for Sustainability (LAMASUS)
Brazil-EU Cooperation for Development of Advanced Lignocellulosic Biofuel (BECOOL)
Staff
Mengyu Li
Guest Research Scholar (IBF)
David Leclere
Senior Research Scholar (IBF)
Charlotte Janssens
Guest Research Scholar (IBF)
Aline Soterroni
Guest Research Scholar (IBF)
News
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.
16 August 2024
Nitrogen interventions as a key to better health and robust ecosystems
Food and energy production have caused substantial nitrogen pollution, harming air and water quality and posing risks to the climate and ecosystems. A new study shows how nitrogen interventions can reduce pollution, improving health, and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
30 July 2024
Innovative solutions for sustainability in the Zambezi River Basin
A new IIASA study addresses the urgent challenges in managing the water-energy-land nexus in the Zambezi River Basin, which is crucial for southern Africa’s economic stability and environmental health. The authors suggest strategies for economic development that protect environmental resources and adapt to climate and socioeconomic changes.
Events
Stockholm, Sweden
IIASA at IUFRO World Congress 2024
Vienna, Austria and online
IIASA at EGU 2024
Focus
08 July 2024
Future food demand in The Gambia: can increased crop productivity and climate adaptation close the supply–demand gap?
The Gambia faces significant food availability issues due to low agricultural productivity. IIASA researchers and colleagues used the FABLE Calculator to explore actions to reduce the food supply-demand gap by 2050. The results, published in Food Security, reveal that current cropland will not meet food demand by 2050.
27 June 2024
Exploring plant-based food alternatives to advance global sustainability
Shifting diets could yield major improvements for climate and biodiversity. IIASA researchers found that replacing half of all main meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land userelated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forests and natural land.
Publications
Escobar Lanzuela, N. , Seber, G., Skalský, R. , Wögerer, M., Jung, M., & Malina, R. (2024). Spatially-explicit land use change emissions and carbon payback times of biofuels under the carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation. Science of the Total Environment 948 e174635. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174635. Chaplin-Kramer, R., Polasky, S., Alkemade, R., Burgess, N., Cheung, W., Fetzer, I., Harfoot, M., Hertel, T., Hill, S., Andrew Johnson, J., Janse, J., José v. Jeetze, P., Kim, H., Kuiper, J., Lonsdorf, E., Leclere, D., Mulligan, M., Peterson, G., Popp, A., Roe, S., Schipper, A., Snäll, T., van Soesbergen, A., Soterroni, A., Stehfest, E., van Vuuren, D., Visconti, P., Wang-Erlandsson, L., Wells, G., & Pereira, H. (2024). Integrated modeling of nature’s role in human well-being: A research agenda. Global Environmental Change 88 e102891. 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102891. Fridman, D. , Burek, P. , Wada, Y. , Kahil, T. , & Palazzo, A. (2024). SSP-aligned projected European water withdrawal/consumption at 5 arcminutes. 10.5281/zenodo.13379538. Guo, Y., Zhao, H., Winiwarter, W. , Chang, J. , Wang, X., Zhou, M., Havlik, P. , Leclere, D., Pan, D., Kanter, D., & Zhang, L. (2024). Aspirational nitrogen interventions accelerate air pollution abatement and ecosystem protection. Science Advances 10 (33) eado0112. 10.1126/sciadv.ado0112. Gopalakrishna, T., Visconti, P., Lomax, G., Boere, E., Malhi, Y., Roy, P.S., Joshi, P.K., Fedele, G., & Yowargana, P. (2024). Optimizing restoration: A holistic spatial approach to deliver Nature’s Contributions to People with minimal tradeoffs and maximal equity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 (34) e2402970121. 10.1073/pnas.2402970121. Ermolieva, T., Havlik, P. , Derci Augustynczik, A.L., Frank, S. , Balkovič, J. , Skalský, R. , Deppermann, A., Nakhavali, A., Komendantova, N. , Kahil, T. , Wang, G., Folberth, C. , & Knopov, P.S. (2024). Tracking the Dynamics and Uncertainties of Soil Organic Carbon in Agricultural Soils Based on a Novel Robust Meta-Model Framework Using Multisource Data. Sustainability 16 (16) e6849. 10.3390/su16166849.