Green infrastructure has weak conceptual links with efficient biodiversity conservation
Ekroos, Johan LU ; von Post, Maria LU ; Persson, Anna S. LU ; Stjernman, Martin LU
and Olsson, Ola
LU
(2025)
In Ambio
54(7).
p.1153-1164
- Abstract
To reverse biodiversity loss, creating resilient ecological networks has been promoted in policy and practice. However, we argue that emphasising networks within policy without clear conservation prioritisations may direct focus away from ecological processes important for population persistence. We studied the rationale for resilient ecological networks represented in a policy context, by reviewing research related to biodiversity within the concept of green infrastructure in European policy. We compared this outcome with underlying empirical evidence for effects of landscape properties on ecological processes relevant to population persistence. We show that interventions within green infrastructure research partly diverge from... (More)
To reverse biodiversity loss, creating resilient ecological networks has been promoted in policy and practice. However, we argue that emphasising networks within policy without clear conservation prioritisations may direct focus away from ecological processes important for population persistence. We studied the rationale for resilient ecological networks represented in a policy context, by reviewing research related to biodiversity within the concept of green infrastructure in European policy. We compared this outcome with underlying empirical evidence for effects of landscape properties on ecological processes relevant to population persistence. We show that interventions within green infrastructure research partly diverge from evidence of efficient conservation derived from empirical studies, likely linked to an insufficient acknowledgement of ecological processes determining long-term conservation of populations in GI policy and research. We discuss possible implications for biodiversity conservation and argue for upcoming policies to better integrate scientific evidence and underlying ecological processes to improve biodiversity outcomes.
(Less)
- author
- Ekroos, Johan
LU
; von Post, Maria
LU
; Persson, Anna S.
LU
; Stjernman, Martin
LU
and Olsson, Ola
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-07
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Biodiversity policy, Conservation prioritisation, Ecological networks, EU Nature Restoration Law, Evidence-based conservation
- in
- Ambio
- volume
- 54
- issue
- 7
- article number
- 103775
- pages
- 12 pages
- publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:39985732
- scopus:85219186504
- ISSN
- 0044-7447
- DOI
- 10.1007/s13280-025-02149-1
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 99f951c8-1a70-4529-913c-695c3cf0cc37
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-30 10:15:38
- date last changed
- 2025-07-01 15:13:16
@article{99f951c8-1a70-4529-913c-695c3cf0cc37,
abstract = {{<p>To reverse biodiversity loss, creating resilient ecological networks has been promoted in policy and practice. However, we argue that emphasising networks within policy without clear conservation prioritisations may direct focus away from ecological processes important for population persistence. We studied the rationale for resilient ecological networks represented in a policy context, by reviewing research related to biodiversity within the concept of green infrastructure in European policy. We compared this outcome with underlying empirical evidence for effects of landscape properties on ecological processes relevant to population persistence. We show that interventions within green infrastructure research partly diverge from evidence of efficient conservation derived from empirical studies, likely linked to an insufficient acknowledgement of ecological processes determining long-term conservation of populations in GI policy and research. We discuss possible implications for biodiversity conservation and argue for upcoming policies to better integrate scientific evidence and underlying ecological processes to improve biodiversity outcomes.</p>}},
author = {{Ekroos, Johan and von Post, Maria and Persson, Anna S. and Stjernman, Martin and Olsson, Ola}},
issn = {{0044-7447}},
keywords = {{Biodiversity policy; Conservation prioritisation; Ecological networks; EU Nature Restoration Law; Evidence-based conservation}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{1153--1164}},
publisher = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
series = {{Ambio}},
title = {{Green infrastructure has weak conceptual links with efficient biodiversity conservation}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02149-1}},
doi = {{10.1007/s13280-025-02149-1}},
volume = {{54}},
year = {{2025}},
}