The biodiversity nexus
BIONEXT’s research operates within the biodiversity nexus.
The biodiversity nexus demonstrates the diverse, intertwined relationships between people and nature. It shows how our resource use affects nature and biodiversity and vice versa.
Uncovering the interlinkages and interdependencies between the elements of biodiversity, water, food, energy, health, climate, and transport is crucial to better understanding the biodiversity nexus. By understanding the biodiversity nexus, we can make better decisions on how we manage and interact with nature and biodiversity.
On this page, you can find information about each element of the biodiversity nexus and what BIONEXT is doing concerning the biodiversity nexus.
The biodiversity nexus elements
Biodiversity
Biodiversity and ecosystem services are the cornerstone for numerous critical aspects of human existence.
Water
Water is closely interlinked with biodiversity, energy, human and animal health, and food.
Food
Food is not only a fundamental aspect of human nutrition but also represents a key element in the development of societies.
Climate
The Earth’s climate affects all elements of the biodiversity nexus (water, food, energy, transport, health, and biodiversity).
Energy
Energy exists all around us in various forms. It is critical to our wellbeing as well as to the biodiversity on which we depend.
Transport
While transport is necessary for the functioning of human societies, it also affects our environment in many ways.
Health
Needless to say, health is the ultimate cornerstone of human life. However, it is only one of the Sustainable Development Goals.
What are we doing in BIONEXT concerning the biodiversity nexus?
We are generating new evidence regarding the interlinkages within the biodiversity nexus
We are generating new evidence about how biodiversity is linked to food, water, energy, transport, climate and health and to the interconnections between them. To do so, we are conducting a review that synthesizes evidence on the current state of interlinkages between biodiversity and the six other nexus elements in Europe. The review asks: how is biodiversity influencing, and influenced by, water, food, health, energy, and transport, in the context of climate change? The review sheds light on the complex interactions that situate biodiversity as a fundamental part of sustainable life on earth and provides future research directions for a better understanding of the nexus.
We are mainstreaming the biodiversity nexus in visions, scenarios, and pathways that are co-developed with our stakeholders
Through a series of workshops, we are enriching exploratory scenarios that describe what MIGHT happen in the future (known as the European shared socio-economic pathways) with considerations of biodiversity and nature, and its interactions with other sectors (including food, water, energy, transport, health). We are also developing plural visions for nature-positive futures that describe what we WANT to happen in the future. These visions also consider interlinkages within the biodiversity nexus. And finally, we are developing pathways of transformative actions to achieve nature-positive futures.
We are developing a new nexus modelling framework
The framework models the interlinkages of the biodiversity nexus within the scenarios and pathways that are co-produced by stakeholders. The modelling framework also evaluates the effectiveness of transformative actions within the nexus in achieving nature-positive futures.
What is the biodiversity nexus?
The biodiversity nexus explained through the eyes of nine European changemakers.
Related articles
To halt or reverse biodiversity loss, it is critical to understand the role of biodiversity in food production and consumption, water quality and availability, climate regulation and mitigation, human and ecosystem health, energy production and means of transportation.