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.
Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP)
The Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) at IIASA offers an exceptional opportunity for PhD students to engage in collaborative research with IIASA’s interdisciplinary teams.
Each summer, participants work on projects closely related to their doctoral research under the guidance of experienced IIASA scientists, contributing to IIASA’s mission of addressing complex global challenges.
YSSP opportunities in BNR Program YSSP - Young Scientists Summer Program
Models, tools, datasets
Global Forest Model (G4M)
Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM)
Community Water Model (CWatM)
Integrated model for BiodIversity distribution projectionS (ibis.iSDM)
Projects
European Union Biodiversity and Climate strategies Assessment (BIOCLIMA)
Designing a resilient and coherent Trans-European Network for Nature and People (NaturaConnect)
Creating leverage to enhance biodiversity outcomes of global biomass trade (CLEVER)
Advancing Capacity and Analytical Tools for Supporting Common Agricultural Policies post 2027 (ACT4CAP2027)
Staff
Rebekah Hinton
Research Scholar (WAT)
Azadeh Ahmadi
Guest Research Scholar (WAT, EF)
Andrey Lessa Derci Augustynczik
Research Scholar (IBF)
Sibylle Rouet Pollakis
Research Scholar (IBF)
News
17 July 2026
Connecting the dots behind Southeast Asia's catastrophic fires
How do wildfires grow into catastrophic events? By tracing the earliest detectable origins of the devastating 2015 equatorial Southeast Asian fires, researchers found that most large fires had multiple origin points and identified the ecological, climatic, and human factors associated with where fires begin. These findings provide new insights that could help improve fire prevention and understanding of fire risks under climate change across tropical landscapes.
15 July 2026
Shift to healthy, sustainable diets would reshape global agriculture
IIASA researchers contributed to a new international study showing that a combination of healthier diets, improved farm productivity, and reduced food waste could fundamentally reshape global agriculture, substantially reducing pressure on land and greenhouse gas emissions while delivering significant benefits for human health and the environment.
10 July 2026
CropSuit app to help farmers grow the right crops in the right places
Farmers, extension workers, and governments now have a powerful new tool to help identify the crops best suited to specific parcels of land, enabling more efficient use of resources and greater resilience to climate change.
Events
Focus
Annual Report 2025
Annual Report 2025: Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program Highlights
Balancing the needs of people and nature is one of the defining challenges of our time. Throughout 2025, the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program advanced research on how societies can pursue climate, biodiversity, and development goals while managing growing pressures on land, water, energy, and ecosystems.
08 April 2026
Forest Talks webinar explores integrating Earth observation and national forest inventories across Europe
The most recent edition of the Forest Talks webinar series – jointly hosted by the ForestNavigator project (coordinated by IIASA) together with the ForestPaths and PathFinder projects – brought together researchers, modelers, and national reporting experts to discuss advances in Earth observation (EO) for forest monitoring and greenhouse gas inventory support across Europe.