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Global biodiversity goals: Researchers call for systematic conservation planning

Activists around the world are striving to stop the loss of biodiversity and restore ecosystems, as agreed by the international community in the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of Kunming and Montreal.

A study by the Horizon Europe project MarinePlan (coordinated by the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries in Bremerhaven), in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, shows that in order to achieve the goals agreed in the GBF, such as the protection of 30% of the Earth's surface and the restoration of 30% of the degraded ecosystems, decisionmakers should implement Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP).

For their study, the researchers led by Dr. Sylvaine Giakoumi from the Sicily Marine Center in Palermo took a closer look at the application of the planning tool, compiled and evaluated qualitative reviews and expert knowledge.

In their estimation, SCP has become a key strategy in investment and spatial planning in the nature conservation sector over the past 30 years. Modern algorithms and other scientific tools support users in making decisions that best promote biodiversity conservation while being as cost-efficient as possible.

According to the researchers, SCP is thus a science-based process that can help decisionmakers work in a targeted and flexible manner on the implementation of the GBF goals.

"Decisions made in the next decade will have profound and lasting effects on ecosystems on land, in the water and in the sea," says co-author Dr. Vanessa Stelzenmüller, from the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries. "They must therefore be based on effective, solid and transparent spatial planning."

Nevertheless, the researchers recommend a number of improvements that could promote the widespread implementation of SCP:

1. Planning uncertainties should be communicated in a standardized manner. This creates confidence in the approach.
2. Training programs should support practical implementation.
3. Scientists, practitioners and advocacy groups should cooperate closely to align nature conservation with other societal and economic needs.
4. With further research, adaptive solutions can be developed and trade-offs can be made between competing goals.

If the principle is further developed, SCP offers great potential from the scientists' point of view to permanently solve the challenges resulting from the GBF in terms of nature and society.