The BEC Group develops and applies state-of-the art ecological knowledge, methods, and tools to understand ecosystem functioning, biodiversity change, and feedbacks in coupled social-economic-ecological systems. We use this knowledge to develop management options to achieve biodiversity and sustainability goals  

The BEC group is the institute’s hub of applied ecology and conservation research. The group provides the needed ecological and conservation insights to help IIASA promote institutional, demographic, behavioral, technological, social, and economic changes that achieve development goals sustainably. 

The group’s key research areas include:

  • Ecological responses to natural and anthropogenic drivers of change, for example, land and water management and climate change.
  • How to prioritize conservation efforts to maximize positive impacts at scales from local to global (e.g., habitat restoration and conservation, and species management plans).
  • How species and ecosystems contribute to selected ecosystem services and human wellbeing.

Models, tools, datasets

ibis.iSDM

Integrated model for BiodIversity distribution projectionS (ibis.iSDM)

Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Plant Functional Acclimation and Trait Evolution (PlantFATE)

Projects

Chamois picture taken near the Rax

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

Wetland calm pond surrounded by golden vegetation and brilliant colors of fall foliage forest

European Union Biodiversity and Climate strategies Assessment (BIOCLIMA)

Upper Bhima basin

fairSTREAM

RESIST_banner

Resilience of Ecosystem Services provided by Intact and Sustainably managed Terrestrial ecosystems (RESIST)

Staff

Elisa Stefaniak profile picture

Elisa Stefaniak

Research Scholar (BEC)

Shipra Singh profile picture

Shipra Singh

IIASA Postdoctoral Fellow (EM, BEC, CDAT)

Florian Hofhansl profile picture

Florian Hofhansl

Research Scholar (NODES, BEC)

Carla Freund profile picture

Carla Freund

Project Officer (BEC)

News

Ecosystem restoration

05 November 2024

How ecosystem restoration benefits national policies

IIASA scientists show that preserving ecosystems and fostering socioeconomic development is not a trade-off. On the contrary, an integrated approach is beneficial to national policies. We share examples from India, Brazil, and Indonesia.
SDGs

30 October 2024

Three pathways to achieve global climate and sustainable development goals

Sustainable lifestyles, green-tech innovation, and government-led transformation each offer promising routes to make significant progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), to which IIASA scientists contributed. Contrary to the belief that the path to sustainable development is increasingly out of reach, the results show that humankind has a variety of pathways to depart from its current unsustainable trajectory.
Route of the waterfalls with 14 waterfalls in corupa one of the last areas of the Atlantic forest in Brazil.

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.

Focus

COP16 - PLENARY 25OCT 18

29 October 2024

Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia: Time to deliver

Who lives up to the promises made two years ago? Not many. Only about 35 countries have a strategy on how to meet biodiversity targets, says Piero Visconti, Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation (BEC) Research Group Leader at IIASA. But in 2022, at COP15 in Montreal, the countries pledged to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas. At the same time, rich countries also don’t live up to their promise to help the poor with financing. This COP needs to show results.

Butterfly on a pink flower

17 July 2024

Biodiversity lessons from nature

IIASA researchers Silvia Artuso and Juliette Martin reflect on a recent workshop presented at the Institute as part of the IIASA School Engagement Initiative, during which they introduced students to systems analysis and took them on an adventure to explore the amazing biodiversity of Laxenburg park.

Publications