Biodiversity conservation in a changing environment beyond 2020.

Abstract

Yonglong Lu James M. Bullock The massive and ongoing loss of biodiversity comprises a social and environmental emergency that the world’s governments must urgently address. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) global assessment has warned that biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history. To this end, the 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15) for Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming, China this October will focus on developing a post-2020 global biodiversity framework to replace the 2011–2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets). Given the failure to meet previous policy targets, how can the global scientific community provide strong science-based evidence to improve biodiversity conservation as well as address conflicts with the demands of an increasing human population? In this special collection, leading conservation scientists identify grand challenges for biodiversity conservation, conflicts, and trade-offs between conservation and the exploitation of natural resources, and strategies for sustainable utilization and management of biodiversity at global, regional, or national scales. A solid science foundation can better inform recommendations for the development and implementation of the post-2020 Biodiversity Agenda. The special collection papers contribute to this grand aim, by providing insights into the following issues. While the roles of individual threats to biodiversity, including climate change, habitat loss, and pollution, are well documented, much less is known …