General
Ecosystem services in decision making: time to deliverBackgroundOver the past decade, valuing and protecting ecosystem services has been promoted as a strategy to mainstream conservation globally. While the vision of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is gaining traction, a significant scientific and policy-implementation gap remains. Natural capital is often undervalued or ignored in major decisions by governments, businesses, and the public, a problem highlighted by natural disasters and crises where the loss of protective services becomes starkly apparent. Open access copy available |
Diverse values of nature for sustainabilityBackgroundDespite 25 years of progress in valuing ecosystem services, a global biodiversity crisis persists, underpinned by a "values crisis." Current policies and decisions often prioritize a narrow subset of market-based instrumental values, ignoring the diverse ways people relate to and benefit from nature. This paper, based on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Values Assessment, synthesizes over 50,000 sources to address this gap. Open access copy available |
The enduring world forest carbon sinkBackgroundForests are critical to mitigating climate change because they absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and store it in biomass and soils. In 2023, atmospheric CO₂ levels exceeded 420 ppm, intensifying the urgency to understand terrestrial carbon sinks. Forests historically lost 180 Pg of carbon through land-use change, yet they remain central to achieving global net-zero goals by 2050. While remote sensing and modeling offer insights, this study emphasizes long-term, ground-based forest inventory data as the most reliable source for assessing trends in carbon sinks across boreal, temperate, and tropical forest biomes. Open access copy available |
The weak land carbon sink hypothesisBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Land availability and policy commitments limit global climate mitigation from forestationBackgroundOpen access copy available |
The changing global carbon cycle: linking plant–soil carbon dynamics to global consequencesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Addressing critiques refines global estimates of reforestation potential for climate change mitigationBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Protect, manage and then restore lands for climate mitigationBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Reclamation of Mine‐Impacted Land for Ecosystem RecoveryBACKGROUND:Available with subscription or purchase |
Herbaceous plant diversity in forest ecosystems: patterns, mechanisms, and threatsBACKGROUND:Recent studies have expanded our ecological understanding by focusing on forest herbs, highlighting that while trees dominate ecological theory, they represent only a small fraction of forest plant diversity. Forests showcase varying plant diversity due to human activities like land-use changes, invasive species, climate change, and overabundant herbivores, necessitating comprehensive management strategies. By understanding the complex interplay of these factors, the research aims to promote effective long-term conservation and sustainability of herbaceous plant communities in these environments. Available with subscription or purchase |
