Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management Under Climate Change
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management Research Thematic and Priority Areas
Themes and subthemes of Research Priorities
Theme 1: Biodiversity Management and Sustainable utilization
• Sub theme 1.1. Monitoring/Inventory, collection, characterization, and systematic study of biodiversity from genes to species levels, lower to high taxa levels, population to community levels, and species of conservation concern (e.g. keystone, migratory, charismatic, endemics, threatened, commercial species, etc.) and predict future biodiversity dynamics
• Sub theme 1.2. Analyze the actual and potential values (direct, indirect and future) of biodiversity (e.g. economics of biodiversity, bioprospecting), conservation status of biodiversity, and predict for sustainable utilization
• Sub theme 1.3. Development of innovative biodiversity monitoring methodologies, tools, and data analysis techniques
• Sub theme 1.4. Monitoring and evaluation of the biodiversity indicators, threats and drivers, and develop temporal and spatial indicators to examine biodiversity threats for all levels of biodiversity (genes, species, ecosystems), agrobiodiversity and sociocultural?
• Sub theme 1.5. Identify and quantify the mechanisms of the main and interacting effects of combinations of drivers/impacts on biodiversity loss/threats and examine the responses of biodiversity
• Sub theme 1.6. Assess the impact of measures or response taken to adapt to or mitigate drivers (e.g. climate change, land use) on biodiversity and develop new measures, including restoration and intervention measures
• Sub theme 1.7. Predict (model) the future cause-effect relations between biodiversity challenges and drivers (natural and anthropogenic)
• Sub theme 1.8. Explore and predict the role of the biodiversity components in global changes mitigation (e.g. climate change, demography, carbon sequestration dynamics, air purification, desertification, disease regulations, etc) and adaptation strategies
• Sub theme 1.9. Study on biodiversity informatics and information networks: biodiversity databases, information management and communication at all levels (e.g. from DNA barcoding to higher taxa levels data and information; different landscape/waterscape patches data and information, geospatial, socioeconomic, etc.; big data management)
Theme 2: Ecosystems Management and Sustainability
• Sub theme 2.1. Monitoring, valuation and mapping ecosystems and ecosystem services and values
• Sub theme 2.2. Modeling and predict future ecosystems and ecosystem services dynamic in relation to natural and anthropogenic impacts
• Sub theme 2.3. Examining the role of genetic, species, functional and landscape/seascape diversity in promoting key ecological processes (e.g. energy flow, nutrient cycle, adaptation, evolution, succession, etc.) for the design and management of sustainable ecosystems
• Sub theme 2.4. Development of new monitoring designs and methods to measure and map ecosystem and ecosystem services
• Sub theme 2.5. Develop temporal and spatial indicators to examine ecosystem services
• Sub theme 2.6. Examining willingness for Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), green economic development and greening
• Sub theme 2.7. Analyzing and characterizing drivers and mechanisms of global change (e.g. climate change, land use/cover changes, demography) impact on ecosystems, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services along with indicators
• Sub theme 2.8. Ecosystem and ecosystem services informatics, database and communication
Theme 3: Social-ecological Interactions
• Sub theme 3.1. Examine the relationships and multi-dimensional link between biodiversity and ecosystem services with that of socioeconomic and cultural dimensions of individual and collective human wellbeing along with suitable indicators
• Sub theme 3.2. Examining perceptions and values of biodiversity, and the links between biodiversity quality, the quality of human well-being and wealth generation.
• Sub theme 3.3. Exploring how choices are made (from individuals and business/private to government policies) and how our choices in turn impact on biodiversity and ecosystem management and services.
• Sub theme 3.4. Research into challenges and opportunities for restoration of socio-ecological systems, including best practices, success criteria and indicators, estimation of benefits for local and global stakeholders, and institutional mechanisms for long-term stewardship of restored socio-ecological systems.
• Sub theme 3.5. Exploring and quantitative analysis of indigenous knowledge on biodiversity resources, conservation know-how and practices, ethnoecology, ethnomedicine, ethnozoology, community based ecosystem management, etc.
• Sub theme 3.6. Evaluation and analysis of range ecology and impacts on pastoralism and pastoralists livelihood. (Example of range ecology: Range lands composition & structure; health and quality, condition and trend, productivity & phenology; nutritive status; land use & cover change mapping; invasive species and bush encroachment, livestock & grassland linkages; pastoral migration & grassland pattern; resource extraction & use pattern, etc.).
• Sub theme 3.7. Study on domestic and wildlife interface (resource and habitat use overlap, disease transmission), human wildlife conflicts in relation to large mammals (e.g. elephants, rhinos, etc.)
• Sub theme 3.8. Modeling the dynamic and complex relationships between biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing in response to environmental/climatic change.
Theme 4: Biodiversity Policy and Governance
• Sub theme 4.1. Study on governance for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, in particular developing effective methods for mainstreaming biodiversity across all related sectors and stakeholders.
• Sub theme 4.2. Analyze the mechanisms in which different social, economic and political institutions and actors drive and respond to the challenges on biodiversity loss and ecosystem services
• Sub theme 4.3. Study on the science-policy interfaces, regulatory frameworks and international conventions/treaties/protocols/ regimes in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management
• Sub theme 4.4. Exploring Traditional customs, social institutions and innovation in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management
• Sub theme 4.5. Methods and monitoring on genetic resources governance, biosafety/bio risk, and Access Benefit Sharing (ABS)
• Sub theme 4.6. Develop and model institutional frameworks/arrangements (e.g. financial, legal, political, social,), and governance systems that are best suited for biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem services.