TY - JOUR

T1 - Key knowledge gaps to achieve global sustainability goals

AU - Mastrángelo, Matías E.

AU - Pérez-Harguindeguy, Natalia

AU - Enrico, Lucas

AU - Bennett, Elena

AU - Lavorel, Sandra

AU - Cumming, Graeme S.

AU - Abeygunawardane, Dilini

AU - Amarilla, Leonardo D.

AU - Burkhard, Benjamin

AU - Egoh, Benis N.

AU - Frishkoff, Luke

AU - Galetto, Leonardo

AU - Huber, Sibyl

AU - Karp, Daniel S.

AU - Ke, Alison

AU - Kowaljow, Esteban

AU - Kronenburg-García, Angela

AU - Locatelli, Bruno

AU - Martín-López, Berta

AU - Meyfroidt, Patrick

AU - Mwampamba, Tuyeni H.

AU - Nel, Jeanne

AU - Nicholas, Kimberly A.

AU - Nicholson, Charles

AU - Oteros-Rozas, Elisa

AU - Rahlao, Sebataolo J.

AU - Raudsepp-Hearne, Ciara

AU - Ricketts, Taylor

AU - Shrestha, Uttam B.

AU - Torres, Carolina

AU - Winkler, Klara J.

AU - Zoeller, Kim

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - Regional and global assessments periodically update what we know, and highlight what remains to be known, about the linkages between people and nature that both define and depend upon the state of the environment. To guide research that better informs policy and practice, we systematically synthesize knowledge gaps from recent assessments of four regions of the globe and three key themes by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. We assess their relevance to global sustainability goals and trace their evolution relative to those identified in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. We found that global sustainability goals cannot be achieved without improved knowledge on feedbacks between social and ecological systems, effectiveness of governance systems and the influence of institutions on the social distribution of ecosystem services. These top research priorities have persisted for the 14 years since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Our analysis also reveals limited understanding of the role of indigenous and local knowledge in sustaining nature’s benefits to people. Our findings contribute to a policy-relevant and solution-oriented agenda for global, long-term social-ecological research.

AB - Regional and global assessments periodically update what we know, and highlight what remains to be known, about the linkages between people and nature that both define and depend upon the state of the environment. To guide research that better informs policy and practice, we systematically synthesize knowledge gaps from recent assessments of four regions of the globe and three key themes by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. We assess their relevance to global sustainability goals and trace their evolution relative to those identified in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. We found that global sustainability goals cannot be achieved without improved knowledge on feedbacks between social and ecological systems, effectiveness of governance systems and the influence of institutions on the social distribution of ecosystem services. These top research priorities have persisted for the 14 years since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Our analysis also reveals limited understanding of the role of indigenous and local knowledge in sustaining nature’s benefits to people. Our findings contribute to a policy-relevant and solution-oriented agenda for global, long-term social-ecological research.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - biodiversity

KW - Ecosystem services

KW - policy

KW - sustainability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074662634&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41893-019-0412-1

DO - 10.1038/s41893-019-0412-1

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 2

SP - 1115

EP - 1121

JO - Nature Sustainability

JF - Nature Sustainability

SN - 2398-9629

IS - 12

ER -