Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 375(1794), С. 20190120 - 20190120

Опубликована: Янв. 27, 2020

There is growing awareness that ‘nature-based solutions' (NbS) can help to protect us from climate change impacts while slowing further warming, supporting biodiversity and securing ecosystem services. However, the potential of NbS provide intended benefits has not been rigorously assessed. are concerns over their reliability cost-effectiveness compared engineered alternatives, resilience change. Trade-offs arise if mitigation policy encourages with low value, such as afforestation non-native monocultures. This result in maladaptation, especially a rapidly changing world where biodiversity-based multi-functional landscapes key. Here, we highlight rise policy—focusing on for adaptation well mitigation—and discuss barriers evidence-based implementation. We outline major financial governance challenges implementing at scale, highlighting avenues research. As turns increasingly towards greenhouse gas removal approaches afforestation, stress urgent need natural social scientists engage makers. They must ensure achieve tackle both crisis also contributing sustainable development. will require systemic way conduct research run our institutions. article part theme issue ‘Climate ecosystems: threats, opportunities solutions’.

Язык: Английский

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Insect Declines in the Anthropocene

Annual Review of Entomology, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 65(1), С. 457 - 480

Опубликована: Окт. 14, 2019

Insect declines are being reported worldwide for flying, ground, and aquatic lineages. Most reports come from western northern Europe, where the insect fauna is well-studied there considerable demographic data many taxonomically disparate Additional cases of faunal losses have been noted Asia, North America, Arctic, Neotropics, elsewhere. While this review addresses both species loss population declines, its emphasis on latter. Declines abundant can be especially worrisome, given that they anchor trophic interactions shoulder essential ecosystem services their respective communities. A factors believed to responsible observed collapses those perceived threatening insects form core treatment. In addition widely recognized threats biodiversity, e.g., habitat destruction, agricultural intensification (including pesticide use), climate change, invasive species, assessment highlights a few less commonly considered such as atmospheric nitrification burning fossil fuels effects droughts changing precipitation patterns. Because geographic extent magnitude largely unknown, an urgent need monitoring efforts, across ecological gradients, which will help identify important causal in declines. This also considers status vertebrate insectivores, reporting bias, challenges inherent collecting interpreting data, increasing abundance.

Язык: Английский

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A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production

Science Advances, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 5(10)

Опубликована: Окт. 11, 2019

Human land use threatens global biodiversity and compromises multiple ecosystem functions critical to food production. Whether crop yield-related services can be maintained by a few dominant species or rely on high richness remains unclear. Using database from 89 studies (with 1475 locations), we partition the relative importance of richness, abundance, dominance for pollination; biological pest control; final yields in context ongoing land-use change. Pollinator enemy directly supported addition independent abundance dominance. Up 50% negative effects landscape simplification was due losses service-providing organisms, with consequences yields. Maintaining service providers is therefore vital sustain flow key agroecosystem benefits society.

Язык: Английский

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Getting the message right on nature‐based solutions to climate change

Global Change Biology, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 27(8), С. 1518 - 1546

Опубликована: Фев. 1, 2021

Abstract Nature‐based solutions (NbS)—solutions to societal challenges that involve working with nature—have recently gained popularity as an integrated approach can address climate change and biodiversity loss, while supporting sustainable development. Although well‐designed NbS deliver multiple benefits for people nature, much of the recent limelight has been on tree planting carbon sequestration. There are serious concerns this is distracting from need rapidly phase out use fossil fuels protect existing intact ecosystems. also expansion forestry framed a mitigation solution coming at cost rich biodiverse native ecosystems local resource rights. Here, we discuss promise pitfalls framing its current political traction, present recommendations how get message right. We urge policymakers, practitioners researchers consider synergies trade‐offs associated follow four guiding principles enable provide society: (1) not substitute rapid fuels; (2) wide range land in sea, just forests; (3) implemented full engagement consent Indigenous Peoples communities way respects their cultural ecological rights; (4) should be explicitly designed measurable biodiversity. Only by following these guidelines will design robust resilient urgent sustaining nature together, now into future.

Язык: Английский

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Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 118(2)

Опубликована: Янв. 11, 2021

Major declines in insect biomass and diversity, reviewed here, have become obvious well documented since the end of World War II. Here, we conclude that spread intensification agriculture during past half century is directly related to these losses. In addition, many areas, including tropical mountains, are suffering serious losses because climate change as well. Crops currently occupy about 11% world's land surface, with active grazing taking place over an additional 30%. The industrialization second 20th involved farming on greatly expanded scales, monoculturing, application increasing amounts pesticides fertilizers, elimination interspersed hedgerows other wildlife habitat fragments, all practices destructive biodiversity near fields. Some insects destroying, pollinators predators crop pests, beneficial crops. tropics generally, natural vegetation being destroyed rapidly often replaced export crops such oil palm soybeans. To mitigate effects Sixth Mass Extinction event caused experiencing now, following will be necessary: a stable (and almost certainly lower) human population, sustainable levels consumption, social justice empowers less wealthy people nations world, where vast majority us live, necessary.

Язык: Английский

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Our future in the Anthropocene biosphere

AMBIO, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 50(4), С. 834 - 869

Опубликована: Март 14, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed an interconnected and tightly coupled globalized world in rapid change. This article sets the scientific stage for understanding responding to such change global sustainability resilient societies. We provide a systemic overview of current situation where people nature are dynamically intertwined embedded biosphere, placing shocks extreme events as part this dynamic; humanity become major force shaping future Earth system whole; scale pace human dimension have caused climate change, loss biodiversity, growing inequalities, resilience deal with uncertainty surprise. Taken together, actions challenging biosphere foundation prosperous development civilizations. Anthropocene reality-of rising system-wide turbulence-calls transformative towards sustainable futures. Emerging technologies, social innovations, broader shifts cultural repertoires, well diverse portfolio active stewardship support highlighted essential parts transformations.

Язык: Английский

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Positive but variable effects of crop diversification on biodiversity and ecosystem services

Global Change Biology, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 27(19), С. 4697 - 4710

Опубликована: Июнь 11, 2021

Abstract Ecological theory suggests that biodiversity has a positive and stabilizing effect on the delivery of ecosystem services. Yet, impacts increasing diversity cultivated crop species or varieties in agroecosystems are still under scrutiny. The available empirical evidence is scattered scope, agronomic geographic contexts, services may depend type diversification strategy used. To robustly assess effects agroecosystems, we compiled results 95 meta‐analyses integrating 5156 experiments conducted over 84 experimental years representing more than 54,500 paired observations 120 85 countries. Overall, our synthesis data from across globe shows enhances not only production (median +14%) but also associated (+24%, i.e., non‐cultivated plants animals), several supporting regulating including water quality (+51%), pest disease control (+63%) soil (+11%). However, there was substantial variability for each individual service between different strategies such as agroforestry, intercropping, cover crops, rotation variety mixtures. Agroforestry particularly effective delivering multiple services, is, regulation quality, diseases regulation, biodiversity, long‐term productivity quality. Variety mixtures, instead, provide lowest benefits, whereas other show intermediate results. Our highlight while represents very promising sustainable land management, contributing to enhanced yields, some others key

Язык: Английский

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Global agricultural productivity is threatened by increasing pollinator dependence without a parallel increase in crop diversification

Global Change Biology, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 25(10), С. 3516 - 3527

Опубликована: Июль 10, 2019

Abstract The global increase in the proportion of land cultivated with pollinator‐dependent crops implies increased reliance on pollination services. Yet agricultural practices themselves can profoundly affect pollinator supply and pollination. Extensive monocultures are associated a limited reduced pollination, whereas diversification enhance both. Therefore, areas where diversity has increased, or at least been maintained, may better sustain high more stable productivity crops. Given that >80% all depend, to varying extents, insect dependence over recent decades might have led concomitant diversification. We evaluated whether an area indeed diversity, measured here as crop global, regional, country scales for period 1961–2016. Globally, results show relatively weak decelerating rise time was largely decoupled from strong continually increasing trend dependency pollinators. At regional levels, there no consistent relationship between temporal changes Instead, our heterogeneous responses which some countries regions either decrease diversity. Particularly worrisome is rapid expansion oilseed several Americas Asia resulted In these regions, pollinators increasing, yet undermine services expanding. Our analysis thereby identified world particular concern environmentally damaging large‐scale, industrial agriculture threaten key ecosystem underlie productivity, addition other benefits provided by biodiversity.

Язык: Английский

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Ten facts about land systems for sustainability

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 119(7)

Опубликована: Фев. 7, 2022

Land use is central to addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable energy. In this paper, we synthesize knowledge accumulated in land system science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems, into 10 hard truths that have strong, general, empirical support. These facts help explain challenges achieving thus also point toward solutions. The are as follows: 1) Meanings values socially constructed contested; 2) systems exhibit complex behaviors with abrupt, hard-to-predict changes; 3) irreversible changes path dependence common features systems; 4) some uses a small footprint but very large impacts; 5) drivers impacts land-use change globally interconnected spill over distant locations; 6) humanity lives on used planet where all provides benefits societies; 7) usually entails trade-offs between different benefits—"win–wins" rare; 8) tenure claims often unclear, overlapping, 9) burdens from unequally distributed; 10) users multiple, sometimes conflicting, ideas what social environmental justice entails. implications for governance, do not provide fixed answers. Instead they constitute set core principles which can guide scientists, policy makers, practitioners meeting use.

Язык: Английский

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Declines in insect abundance and diversity: We know enough to act now

Conservation Science and Practice, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 1(8)

Опубликована: Июнь 22, 2019

Abstract Recent regional reports and trends in biomonitoring suggest that insects are experiencing a multicontinental crisis is apparent as reductions abundance, diversity, biomass. Given the centrality of to terrestrial ecosystems food chain supports humans, importance addressing these declines cannot be overstated. The scientific community has understandably been focused on establishing breadth depth phenomenon documenting factors causing insect declines. In parallel with ongoing research, it now time for development policy consensus will allow swift societal response. We point out this response need not wait full resolution many physiological, behavioral, demographic aspects declining populations. To ends, we primary goals summarized at scales from nations farms homes.

Язык: Английский

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