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. 

Models, tools, datasets

Forestry and logging

Global Forest Model (G4M)

Projects

Chamois picture taken near the Rax

Designing a resilient and coherent Trans-European Network for Nature and People (NaturaConnect)

Staff

Sylvia Tramberend profile picture

Sylvia Tramberend

Research Scholar (WAT)

Sarah Hanus profile picture

Sarah Hanus

Guest Research Assistant (WAT)

No image available

Yusuke Satoh

Guest Research Scholar (WAT)

Yazhen Wu profile picture

Yazhen Wu

Research Scholar (IBF)

News

flagship report banner

13 September 2023

IIASA Flagship Report: Illuminating the path to sustainable wellbeing

IIASA is proud to announce the launch of its Flagship Report, "Systems Analysis for Sustainable Wellbeing. 50 Years of IIASA Research, 40 Years After the Brundtland Commission, Contributing to the Post-2030 Global Agenda” on Wednesday, 13 September 2023 at an official UN event in the framework of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly and the Sustainable Development Goals mid-term review.
Variety of plant-based meat products

12 September 2023

Plant-based food alternatives could support a shift to global sustainability

Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to new research.
Aerial over a narrow stream with strong current on dry land.

12 September 2023

Water quality deteriorating in rivers worldwide

Climate change and increases in drought and rainstorms pose serious challenges to water management, not only in terms of the quantity of water, but also its quality. However, according to the most recent IPCC report, our current understanding of this issue is inadequate. To fill this gap, an international group of scientists has brought together a large body of research on water quality in rivers worldwide.

Focus

Morning fog over rain forest in Colombia

14 July 2023

Ambitious ecological restoration and deforestation control strategies could support Colombia’s climate and biodiversity targets

IIASA researchers Juliana Arbelaez-Gaviria and Eleanor Warren-Thomas have coauthored a new policy brief published with the Colombia team of the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium, an initiative under the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) and part of the UN Sustainable Development and Solutions Network (UNSDSN). The brief outlines how deforestation and ecological restoration in Colombia may impact carbon, biodiversity, and agricultural production by 2030.

27 June 2023

Driving change from the ground up

Options Magazine, Summer 2023: Felicity Addo joined IIASA in 2021. She is a key contributor to the FACE Africa project, bringing together local actors to co-design strategies to ensure food security in The Gambia.  
Felicty Addo feature

23 June 2023

Into the great wide open

Options Magazine, Summer 2023: By opening up access to science, IIASA is sparking new insights into our planet’s health.
Options Magazine Summer 2023 cover

Publications