Building on the research previously undertaken in the Ecosystems Services and Management and Water programs, the BNR Program fully exploits the potential for biodiversity research within integrated system analysis.
The program brings together different elements of land and aquatic ecosystems including agriculture, forests, and fisheries with water and the marine environment to inform global and regional policy assessments and provide robust science-based knowledge and foresight. The program aims to establish IIASA as an international community hub for biosphere research through innovative tool development; to lead the integration of biophysical-economic modeling with governance; to engage with stakeholders; and to facilitate community driven efforts. It provides policymaking support through core program and group research undertaken in the four BNR research groups.
BNR further engages in bilateral collaborations with other research programs and groups at the institute on key cross-cutting themes such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, the green economy, resilient food systems, transboundary governance, resource depletion and migration, and digital transformation.
Projects
Staff
News

03 February 2023
Exceptional young scientists awarded

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

24 January 2023
Supporting evidence-based policymaking in The Gambia
Focus

25 January 2023
Ambitious actions are urgently needed to shift food and land use systems to a sustainable future
The Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use and Energy (FABLE) Consortium's publication in Sustainability Science collects insights from 20 countries.

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

Publications
Yuwono, B., Yowargana, P., Fuss, S., Griscom, B.W., Smith, P., & Kraxner, F. (2023). Doing burden-sharing right to deliver natural climate solutions for carbon dioxide removal. Nature-Based Solutions 3 e100048. 10.1016/j.nbsj.2022.100048.
Hunt, J. , Zakeri, B. , Nascimento, A., Gazoli, J.R., Bindemann, F.T., Wada, Y. , van Ruijven, B. , & Riahi, K. (2023). Compressed air seesaw energy storage: A solution for long-term electricity storage. Journal of Energy Storage 60 e106638. 10.1016/j.est.2023.106638.
Labrière, N., Davies, S.J., Disney, M.I., Duncanson, L.I., Herold, M., Lewis, S.L., Phillips, O.L., Quegan, S., Saatchi, S.S., Shchepashchenko, D. , Scipal, K., Sist, P., & Chave, J. (2023). Toward a forest biomass reference measurement system for remote sensing applications. Global Change Biology 29 (3) 827-840. 10.1111/gcb.16497.
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)
Schaap, K.J., Fuchslueger, L., Quesada, C.A., Hofhansl, F. , Valverde-Barrantes, O., Camargo, P.B., & Hoosbeek, M.R. (2023). Seasonal fluctuations of extracellular enzyme activities are related to the biogeochemical cycling of C, N and P in a tropical terra-firme forest. Biogeochemistry 10.1007/s10533-022-01009-4.