The Cambridge contribution to the development of Global Ecosystems Models for use in IPBES and other global biodiversity assessments (archives.php)

The Cambridge contribution to the development of Global Ecosystems Models for use in IPBES and other global biodiversity assessments

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The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is starting to become operational and has set up working groups to advise on various important issues. One of the working groups addresses IPBES deliverable 3(c) – Policy support tools and methodologies for scenario analysis and modelling of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This will contribute…

18th December 2014

Toward an integrated approach to the mapping and mitigating of global pressures on biodiversity

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This project will bring together the University of Cambridge Zoology Department, UNEP-WCMC and other CCI partners and associated agencies around the world to undertake three areas of exploratory work. The project will be conducted as follows: first, we will review the scientific literature and all technical products on the internet to assess the degree that…

18th December 2014

Directing tropical forest management from the sky

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Preventing the conversion of the world’s two billion hectares of degraded tropical forests to agriculture is a top conservation priority. This requires effective land allocations for conservation, restoration and the production of commodities to be made, which are dependent upon high quality forest survey data across extensive areas. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) make possible the…

12th December 2014

Does biodiversity promote greater human happiness?

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People appear to be happier and reinvigorated when in more natural settings. But are all green spaces equal at promoting happiness? Diversity—the number and abundance of different species in particular systems—is thought to be important for ensuring the resilience of ecosystem services (such as food production, climate regulation, and pest control) that underpin human wellbeing.…

12th December 2014

INTRINSIC: Integrating rights and social issues in conservation

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This project aims to develop and apply a flexible package of training materials to increase awareness and capacity of conservation professionals to address the social and rights-based aspects of conservation. In this way the project will improve the practice of conservation in terms of sustainability, effectiveness, equity, reputation and positive outcomes for people and nature.…

12th December 2014

Strengthening the mitigation hierarchy for greater conservation gains

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The mitigation hierarchy is a widely advocated process of identifying, avoiding, minimizing and mitigating biodiversity impacts of development projects and is fast becoming best practice – promoted by banks such as the International Finance Corporation, companies such as Rio Tinto and cross-sector collaborative groups such as the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme. However, there is…

12th December 2014