Biodiversity - Emerging Issues for Linking Natural and Social Sciences

More than a decade after the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity loss is still occurring at unprecedented rates. There is a strong consensus that human activities are among the major drivers of biodiversity loss and that integrated approaches between natural and social scientists are needed. This paper develops the rationale for an integrative biodiversity research to produce socially relevant knowledge. It illustrates the challenges and potentials for integrative research using the examples of key drivers of biodiversity change: disturbances, invasions, and fragmentation as well as biodiversity conservation as a societal process. It concludes by highlighting conceptual changes necessary for integrative biodiversity research.