Biodiversity conservation in a changing environment beyond 2020

Yonglong Lu James M. Bullock The massive and ongoing loss of biodiversity comprises a social environmental emergency that the world’s governments must urgently address. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity Ecosystem Services (IPBES) global assessment has warned is declining faster than at any time in human history. To this end, 15th Conference Parties (COP 15) for Convention Biological Diversity (CBD) Kunming, China October will focus developing post-2020 framework to replace 2011–2020 Strategic Plan (including Aichi Targets). Given failure meet previous policy targets, how can scientific community provide strong science-based evidence improve conservation as well address conflicts with demands an increasing population? In special collection, leading scientists identify grand challenges conservation, conflicts, trade-offs between exploitation natural resources, strategies sustainable utilization management global, regional, or national scales. A solid science foundation better inform recommendations development implementation Agenda. collection papers contribute aim, by providing insights into following issues. While roles individual threats biodiversity, including climate change, habitat loss, pollution, are documented, much less known …