Despite ambitious nature conservation efforts, biodiversity is under threat. Enhanced conservation and restoration of forests is key for biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services (ES). The objectives of BIOCONSENT are to provide novel scientific knowledge and policy support by (i) analysis of the impacts of policy incentives arising from (in)coherent cross-sectoral policies at the biodiversity- forest-water-climate nexus, (ii) assessment of actors’ behavior and behavioral changes required for transformation towards sustainable socio-ecological systems with improved biodiversity status, and (iii) integration of biophysical, social, economic and governance drivers shaping the biodiversity-forest-water-climate nexus. The project uses integrative socio-ecological approaches to assess and quantify outcomes of alternative conservation and restoration measures on forest biodiversity and ES provision across spatial and temporal scales.
EFI is leading the work on modelling socio-ecological forest systems by including forest management behavior and behavioral change in forest models, and contributes to the development of policy and management scenarios.