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

Koen De Vos profile picture

Koen De Vos

Guest Research Scholar (IBF)

Fanqi Jia profile picture

Fanqi Jia

Researcher (IBF)

Silvia Artuso profile picture

Silvia Artuso

Researcher (BEC, WAT)

Elisa Stefaniak profile picture

Elisa Stefaniak

Research Scholar (EM, BEC)

News

Dehydrated earth or farmland with corn plant struggling for life in dry cracked earth.

25 April 2024

Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century

Global biodiversity has declined between 2% and 11% during the 20th century due to land-use change alone, according to a large multi-model study published in Science. The projections show that climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-21st century.
FLAM team at EGU24

23 April 2024

FLAM Goes EGU: Exploring Wildfire Research in 2024

The annual European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly took place from April 14-19, 2024, in Vienna. The FLAM Team participated significantly as conveners, oral presenters, and poster exhibitors in various sessions.
boreal_wildfire

22 April 2024

New article on FIRE: Anticipating Future Risks of Climate-Driven Wildfires in Boreal Forests

Wildfires are a growing threat to the boreal north, especially under the rapidly changing climate. IIASA researchers modeled and analyzed how climate change may impact future burned area in boreal forests and highlighted the importance of mitigation and adaptation strategies to reduce climate-fueled impacts on wildfires.

Focus

09 April 2024

Forest science and education in Ukraine: Priorities for action

Ukraine’s forest sector is suffering unprecedented challenges. War has impacted both forests and forestry – devastating forest areas, infrastructure and industry, as well as causing ‘brain drain’ and capacity loss due to the disruption of research institutions and the displacement of students and scientists. These impacts are compounded by factors including climate change, unstable forest health dynamics, landscape fires, and an overall decrease in forest productivity.
Pine trees
Costa Rica

07 February 2024

Rainforest gets digital twin

One of the most species-rich rainforests in southern Costa Rica is being digitally recreated. IIASA researcher Florian Hofhansl explains how the project intends to map the biodiversity and health status of the rainforest and attract sponsors.

Publications