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
Sowdamini Sesha Prasad
Guest Research Assistant (IBF)
Scott Spillias
Guest Research Scholar (IBF)
Fulvio Di Fulvio
Senior Research Scholar (IBF)
Fanqi Jia
Researcher (IBF)
News
04 April 2025
Balancing biodiversity and wood-based bioeconomy in the EU
The European Union’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to halt biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems, but what does this mean for Europe’s wood supply? In a new study, researchers examine how different modes of implementing the strategy’s conservation targets could influence forestry and the wood-based bioeconomy in the EU.
03 April 2025
Celebrating Research on Health at IIASA; World Health Day 2025
Researchers at IIASA are studying the direct and indirect effects of climate change on health, shedding light on healthy aging drivers and metrics and analyzing interconnections between the components of multi-dimensional national well-being.
20 March 2025
IIASA and Ethiopia explore research collaboration in innovation and sustainability
On 19 March 2025, IIASA hosted a virtual workshop with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The event explored research and innovation opportunities to support Ethiopia’s strategic development goals, focusing on areas such as climate change, food security, and sustainable energy.
Events
Focus
13 February 2025
New water withdrawal projections for Europe suggest more people will live in water-stressed areas
As water demand continues to rise across Europe, new analysis reveals that more people than previously estimated will face water stress in the coming decades. IIASA researchers working on the EU-Horizon ACCREU project highlight the urgent need for informed adaptation strategies.
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.
Publications
Di Fulvio, F. , Snäll, T., Lauri, P., Forsell, N., Mönkkönen, M., Burgas, D., Blattert, C., Eyvindson, K., Caicoya, A.T., Vergarechea, M., Antón-Fernández, C., Klein, J., Astrup, R., Lukkarinen, J., Pitzén, S., & Primmer, E. (2025). Impact of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 on the EU wood-based bioeconomy. Global Environmental Change 92 e102986. 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.102986. Hemerijckx, L.-M., De Vos, K. , Kaunda, J.O., & Van Rompaey, A. (2025). Future scenarios for urban agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa: Modelling the urban land-food system in an agent-based approach. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 118 e102258. 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2025.102258. Krisztin, T. , van Dijk, M. , & Piribauer, P. (2025). Herding resilience: Surveys and Bayesian spatial models for Africa’s livestock. Environmental Development 54 e101141. 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101141. Maury, O., Tittensor, D. P., Eddy, T. D., Allison, E. H., Bahri, T., Barrier, N., Campling, L., Cheung, W. W. L., Frieler, K., Fulton, E. A., Guillotreau, P., Heneghan, R. F., Lam, V. W. Y., Leclere, D. , Lengaigne, M., Lotze‐Campen, H., Novaglio, C., Ortega‐Cisneros, K., Rault, J., Schewe, J., Shin, Y.‐J., Sloterdijk, H., Squires, D., Sumaila, U. R., Tidd, A. N., van Ruijven, B. , & Blanchard, J. (2025). The Ocean System Pathways (OSPs): A New Scenario and Simulation Framework to Investigate the Future of the World Fisheries. Earth's Future 13 (3) e2024EF004851. 10.1029/2024EF004851. Goujon, A. , Addo, F. , Bauer, M., Lips, K., Lutz, W. , & Schellnhuber, H.J. (2025). The breadth and potential of systems analysis across Africa. Environmental Development e101207. 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101207. (In Press) Pan, Y., Sha, A., Han, W., Liu, C., Liu, G., Welsch, E., Zeng, M., Xu, S., Zhao, Y., Tian, S., Li, Y., Deng, R., Zhang, X., Shi, H., Cui, Y., Huang, C., & Peng, H. (2025). Identifying spatial drivers of soil heavy metal pollution risk integrating positive matrix factorization, machine learning, and multi-scale geographically weighted regression. Journal of Hazardous Materials 485 e136841. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136841.