Strengthening Synergies: How Action to Achieve Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Conservation Targets Can Contribute to Mitigating Climate Change

The essential contribution of nature to addressing climate change provides an opportunity to strengthen the links between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. As we move towards the next Conferences of the Parties of both Conventions, there is a need to assess explicitly the role of nature in helping to meet the goals of these agreements efficiently and effectively. This series of reports aims to shed light on this topic by assessing the potential contribution that achieving biodiversity conservation targets can make to climate change mitigation. By doing so, it aims to provide both context and mandate for discussions under both Conventions on the role of nature-based solutions in climate change mitigation and links to biodiversity conservation action

A global map of terrestrial habitat types

We provide a global, spatially explicit characterization of 47 terrestrial habitat types, as defined in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) habitat classification scheme, which is widely used in ecological analyses, including for quantifying species’ Area of Habitat. We produced this novel habitat map for the year 2015 by creating a global decision tree that intersects the best currently available global data on land cover, climate and land use. We independently validated the map using occurrence data for 828 species of vertebrates (35152 point plus 8181 polygonal occurrences) and 6026 sampling sites. Across datasets and mapped classes we found on average a balanced accuracy of 0.77 (+ ¯ 0.14 SD) at Level 1 and 0.71 (+ ¯ 0.15 SD) at Level 2, while noting potential issues of using occurrence records for validation. The maps broaden our understanding of habitats globally, assist in constructing area of habitat refinements and are relevant for broad-scale ecological studies and future IUCN Red List assessments. Periodic updates are planned as better or more recent data becomes available

CoForTips Congo basin forests: tipping points for biodiversity conservation and resilience. Final Report (La modélisation des changements d’utilisation des terres dans les pays d’Afrique Centrale 2000-2030)

L'utilisation des terres est un facteur crucial pour le développement économique et l'environnement. Ainsi une terre dédiée à l’agriculture permettra une production régulière qui sera bénéfique pour satisfaire les besoins alimentaires des populations alentour et potentiellement, pour l’économie dans son ensemble. Par contre, les terres agricoles ont un contenu carbone bien inférieur à une terre forestière et sont généralement pauvres en biodiversité. Les terres peuvent être utilisées de différentes manières afin de répondre à différents objectifs et il peut être potentiellement difficile de satisfaire tous ces objectifs à la fois, donnant lieu à des choix difficiles lors de la conception des politiques. Les pays membres de la Commission des forêts d'Afrique centrale (COMIFAC) ont identifié l’initiative pour la réduction des émissions issues de la déforestation et de la dégradation forestière et l'amélioration des stocks de carbone (REDD+) comme un enjeu majeur dans la dernière revision du Plan de Convergence pour la Gestion Durable des Forêts, aux côtés de la conservation et de l’utilisation durable de la diversité biologique et de la réduction des impacts du changement climatique. Cette étude a pour objectif d’identifier les zones soumises aux pressions de conversion les plus fortes dans le futur et les conséquences en termes de production agricole, d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) et de risque de perte de biodiversité, avec pour but d’accompagner les institutions impliquées dans la REDD+ ainsi que dans la planification des Stratégies Nationales et Plans d’Action pour la Biodiversité dans les pays de la COMIFAC

Future environmental and agricultural impacts of Brazil's Forest Code

The role of improving the enforcement of Brazil's Forest Code in reducing deforestation in the Amazon has been highlighted in many studies. However, in a context of strong political pressure for loosening environmental protections, the future impacts of a nationwide implementation of the Forest Code on both environment and agriculture remain poorly understood. Here, we present a spatially explicit assessment of Brazil's 2012 Forest Code through the year 2050; specifically, we use a partial equilibrium economic model that provides a globally consistent national modeling framework with detailed representation of the agricultural sector and spatially explicit land-use change. We test for the combined or isolated impacts of the different measures of the Forest Code, including deforestation control and obligatory forest restoration with or without environmental reserve quotas. Our results show that, if rigorously enforced, the Forest Code could prevent a net loss of 53.4 million hectares (Mha) of forest and native vegetation by 2050, 43.1 Mha (81%) of which are in the Amazon alone. The control of illegal deforestation promotes the largest environmental benefits, but the obligatory restoration of illegally deforested areas creates 12.9 Mha of new forested area. Environmental reserve quotas further protect 5.8 Mha of undisturbed natural vegetation. Compared to a scenario without the Forest Code, by 2050, cropland area is only reduced by 4% and the cattle herd by 8%. Our results show that compliance with the Forest Code requires an increase in cattle productivity of 56% over four decades, with a combination of a higher use of supplements and an adoption of semi-intensive pasture management. We estimate that the enforcement of the Forest Code could contribute up to 1.03 PgCO<sub>2</sub>e to the ambitious GHG emissions reduction target set by Brazil for 2030

Modelling Land Use Changes in the Republic of Congo 2000-2030 . A report by the REDD-PAC project.

This study is intended to assist institutions involved in REDD+ and the planning of National Strategies and Action plans for Biodiversity in the Republic of Congo by attempting to identify the areas under the greatest conversion pressures in the future and the consequences in terms of agricultural production, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.Cette étude essaye d’identifier les zones soumises aux pressions de conversion les plus fortes dans le futur et les conséquences en termes de production agricole, d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de risque de perte de biodiversité. L’objectif du projet REDD-PAC est d’accompagner les institutions impliquées dans la REDD+ ainsi que dans la planification de la Stratégie Nationale et du Plan d’Action pour la Biodiversité en République du Congo

Modelling Land Use Change in Brazil: 2000–2050

The input and output land cover dataset across all modelled time periods (2000-2050) and scenarios resulting from the work of the REDD-PAC project in Brazil. Please consult the data section of the REDD-PAC website (http://redd-pac.org/new_page.php?contents=data1.csv) to access a data visualization tool and to obtain the dataset in WFS format. This dataset can be accessed and displayed using GIS software such as QGIS. Please consult the metadata file for further instruction

A global map of terrestrial habitat types

We provide a global, spatially explicit characterization of 47 terrestrial habitat types, as defined in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) habitat classification scheme, which is widely used in ecological analyses, including for quantifying species’ Area of Habitat. We produced this novel habitat map for the year 2015 by creating a global decision tree that intersects the best currently available global data on land cover, climate and land use. We independently validated the map using occurrence data for 828 species of vertebrates (35152 point plus 8181 polygonal occurrences) and 6026 sampling sites. Across datasets and mapped classes we found on average a balanced accuracy of 0.77 (+¯0.14 SD) at Level 1 and 0.71 (+¯0.15 SD) at Level 2, while noting potential issues of using occurrence records for validation. The maps broaden our understanding of habitats globally, assist in constructing area of habitat refinements and are relevant for broad-scale ecological studies and future IUCN Red List assessments. Periodic updates are planned as better or more recent data becomes available