Landscape efficiency frontiers for biodiversity, climate mitigation, and net economic value

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Abstract
National governments and multilateral institutions face difficult challenges reconciling biodiversity, climate, and economic development goals. We integrated spatial biophysical and economic data with optimization methods to develop sustainable landscape efficiency frontiers that show maximally feasible combinations of biodiversity conservation, land-based climate mitigation, and net economic value from agricultural crops, livestock, and forestry production. We applied this approach in 146 countries and found large potential gains in biodiversity, climate, and economic development from improved land use and land management. Summing national-level results shows the potential to increase climate mitigation by more than 200 billion metric tons of CO 2 equivalents (>20% increase) or net economic value by more than US$350 billion (>80% increase), without loss in other objectives.
Funding Information
  • Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
  • World Bank Group
  • University of Minnesota
  • World Resources Institute (G3275)

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