Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services (AFE)
The basis for improved assessment and management of natural resources is a deep understanding of complex and interacting biophysical processes within terrestrial ecosystems. The AFE Group aims to achieve a leading position in addressing research questions requiring integrated analyses of agriculture, forestry, and natural land ecosystems at global and regional levels. The group’s strategic ambition of biophysical tool integration for, among others, the assessment of nature-based/climate solutions, landscape restoration options, agro-forestry, or future cropland management, is at the core of the IIASA research domain on biodiversity and ecosystem services. With sustainability and biodiversity aspects as cross-cutting environmental safeguards, the group is closely aligned with the strategic direction of its host program on Biodiversity and Natural Resources. This structural and strategic setup will ensure that AFE becomes a valuable research pillar and contributor to the overarching IIASA strategy.
Latest news:
Closing knowledge gaps for sustainable agriculture
IIASA is part of a project funded under the Belmont Forum’s joint Collaborative Research Action on Pathways to Sustainability to develop and apply an indicator system for measuring sustainability in the agricultural sector that will close existing knowledge gaps and facilitate decision making for more sustainable agricultural production. More
Russian forests are crucial to global climate mitigation
Russia is the world’s largest forest country. Being home to more than a fifth of forests globally, the country’s forests and forestry have enormous potential to contribute to making a global impact in terms of climate mitigation. A new study by IIASA researchers, Russian experts, and other international colleagues have produced new estimates of biomass contained in Russian forests, confirming a substantial increase over the last few decades. More
Supporting sustainable development in the agricultural sector
IIASA, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Environmental System Research Institute (ESRI) are proud to announce the launch of version 4 of the Global Agro-Ecological Zones platform (GAEZ v4) – a research tool that supports sustainable development in the agricultural sector – on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. More
Latest event:
Geo-Wiki campaign on Tropical Forest loss starting on December 9th 2020
What has been driving recent tropical forest loss? A new Geo-Wiki campaign, starting on December 9th, tries to elucidate... More
PUBLICATIONS
Mohd Idris, M.N., Hashim, H., Leduc, S., Yowargana, P., Kraxner, F., & Woon, K.S. (2021). Deploying Bioenergy for Decarbonizing Malaysian Energy Sectors and Alleviating Renewable Energy Poverty. Energy 232, e120967. 10.1016/j.energy.2021.120967.
Mukhortova, L., Shchepashchenko, D. , Moltchanova, E., Shvidenko, A., Khabarov, N. , & See, L. (2021). Respiration of Russian soils: climatic drivers and response to climate change. Science of the Total Environment 785, e147314. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147314.
Choruma, D.J., Balkovič, J. , Pietsch, S. , & Odume, O.N. (2021). Using EPIC to simulate the effects of different irrigation and fertilizer levels on maize yield in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Agricultural Water Management 254, e106974. 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106974.