Challenge 3: Preserving biodiversity and its functions under global change

Abstract

The environmental sustainability of the Earth system is at risk, and so do human welfare because of our dependency on it. Here we present challenges dealing with the understanding of how drivers of global change work, and how to minimize their effects on natural and human managed systems, with the aid of new concepts and edge-cutting technology. Their achievement should allow us to detect, understand, forecast and mitigate global change impacts related to climate change, the biodiversity crisis, polar regions, and managed ecosystems, and to improve the health of our planet in the coming decades. In the twenty-first century, biodiversity erosion has become a key scientific question at the time societal concern has increased. We propose theoretical, technological and policy-relevant challenges to preserve biodiversity and safeguard our options for future solutions to global environmental problems. We outline research areas to uncover naturally occurring processes, and to predict and mitigate the impact of global change.