Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests

TLDR

The biodiversity‑productivity relationship (BPR) is foundational to understanding the global extinction crisis and its impacts on ecosystem functioning, and it is critical for accurate valuation and effective conservation of biodiversity. The study calls for a worldwide reassessment of biodiversity values, forest management strategies, and conservation priorities. The authors analyzed ground‑sourced data from 777,126 permanent plots spanning 44 countries and most terrestrial biomes. The analysis revealed a globally consistent positive concave‑down BPR, indicating that continued biodiversity loss would accelerate declines in forest productivity worldwide, and estimated that biodiversity maintains commercial forest productivity worth US$166–490 billion per year—more than twice the cost of effective global conservation.

Abstract

The biodiversity-productivity relationship (BPR) is foundational to our understanding of the global extinction crisis and its impacts on ecosystem functioning. Understanding BPR is critical for the accurate valuation and effective conservation of biodiversity. Using ground-sourced data from 777,126 permanent plots, spanning 44 countries and most terrestrial biomes, we reveal a globally consistent positive concave-down BPR, showing that continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating decline in forest productivity worldwide. The value of biodiversity in maintaining commercial forest productivity alone-US$166 billion to 490 billion per year according to our estimation-is more than twice what it would cost to implement effective global conservation. This highlights the need for a worldwide reassessment of biodiversity values, forest management strategies, and conservation priorities.