"10 Must Knows" as a guide to preserving biodiversity

From knowledge to action

From as yet undiscovered biodiversity and resilient forests to the impact of food consumption on nature: 64 experts, including many IGB researchers, have published the "10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Science" for 2024. With the new report, the Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity provides policymakers and society with concrete ways to effectively conserve and sustainably use biodiversity at the local, national, and European levels and thereby also mitigate climate change. It also aims to contribute current scientific facts to the debate on the German National Biodiversity Strategy, which is to be adopted before the next United Nations Biodiversity Conference in autumn 2024.

Cover picture of the publication. | © Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity

The National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 is currently being developed for national implementation of the 23 global biodiversity targets agreed by United Nations member states at the UN Biodiversity Conference in December 2022. In order to provide the most recent facts from the scientific community, 64 international experts have expanded the first version of the "10 Must-Knows 2022" and updated it with the latest literature. Before publication, the "10 Must-Knows 2024" were commented on by experts from politics, administration, science and associations.

"Our recommendations summarise the current state of research for decision-makers. The must-knows are intended to provide them with guidance on how to implement the globally agreed biodiversity targets in the German context," said author Dr Sibylle Schroer from IGB. "This includes recognising that we have only explored and understood a relatively small part of biodiversity. This realisation is an important step towards more sustainable environmental protection measures, which should focus on ecosystem-based habitat management - and thus on the functions and interactions between species and habitats, rather than just on individual species and habitats".

The "10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Science 2024" are:

Achieving climate and biodiversity protection together
Enabling a healthy life on a healthy planet
Considering undiscovered biodiversity
Linking linguistic, cultural and biological diversity
Harmonising the diverse use of forest ecosystems and biodiversity conservation
Transforming agricultural and food systems
Protecting land and resources
Releasing transformative change through international collaboration and Education for Sustainable Development
Ensuring free access and open use of biodiversity-related data
Reducing biodiversity impacts from food consumption

Weblink to the detailed "10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Science 2024" >

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