The 10 Must-Knows from Biodiversity Research
The Leibniz Research Network for Biodiversity presents concrete recommendations for politics and society, in the form of a 10 Must-Knows List. WFSC Chair Robert Finger is part of the consortium of authors.
On 15 March 2022, the Leibniz Research Network for Biodiversity (Leibniz-Forschungsnetzwerk Biodiversität) published a list of Must-Knows from biodiversity research. The list was curated by a consortium of 45 scientists and aims to present scientifically sound and generally understandable facts about biological diversity.
As a whole, the list outlines ways to halt further loss of biodiversity and ecosystems and to promote biodiversity. Ten key areas are highlighted, each of which are inextricably linked to all the others. The highlighted Must-Knows provide scientifically validated assessments of current knowledge for policy makers and society to make better policy decisions and take action at local, regional, national and global levels to conserve the diversity of life - biodiversity.
Robert Finger, professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at ETH Zurich, was part of the consortium of authors. He comments, "Distilling scientific research into short ‘must-knows’ allows for identification of priority areas for biodiversity conservation and restoration. With this process, we singled out the largest problem areas, identified relevant connections with other environmental issues, and especially highlighted tangible areas for policy action."
The Must-Knows from Biodiversity Research:
1. Realize climate and biodiversity protection together
2. Strengthen planetary health
3. Pay attention to invisible biodiversity
4. Promote biocultural habitats
5. Use forests sustainably
6. Transform agriculture
7. Protect land and resources
8. Transnational infrastructures and education for sustainability
9. Ensure open access and use of research data
10. Set biodiversity-friendly incentives
The scientific authors of the 10 Must-Knows are:
Thonicke, K., Rahner, E., Arneth, A., Bartkowski, B., Bonn, A., Döhler, C., Finger, R., Freitag, J., Grosch, R., Grossart, H.-P., Grützmacher, K., Hartman Scholz, A., Häuser, C., Hickler, T., Hölker, F., Jähnig, S. C., Jeschke, J., Kasen, R., Kastner, T., Kramer-Schadt, S., Krug, C., Lakner, S., Loft, L., Matzdorf, B., Meakins, F., De Meester, L., Monaghan, M. T., Müller, D., Overmann, J., Quaas, M., Radchuk, V., Reyer, C., Roos, C., Scholz, I., Schroer, S., Sioen, G. B., Sommer, S., Sommerwerk, N., Tockner, K., Turk, Z., Warner, B., Wätzold, F., Wende, W., Veenstra, T. und van der Voort, H.
The list was translated from its original text, published in German by Leibniz-Forschungsnetzwerk Biodiversität. external pageOriginal Text (DE)
external pagePress Release from Leibniz-Forschungsnetzwerk Biodiversität