Capturing Human-Biodiversity-Ecosystem Interactions in Advanced Models of the Land-System

Abstract

For many decades, global modelling of processes in land ecosystems has focused on their role in the carbon cycle, given the importance of land carbon sinks and sources in either dampening or amplifying climate change. Despite the rapid progress made in the 1990s and early 2000s, significant uncertainties remain. At the same time, the questions that land ecosystem models are required to address have become much more varied, as the dual challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss have emerged and the need for climate change adaptation has become increasingly urgent. In this perspective article, we argue that dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) are a critical component in the modelling of the coupled human-environment system and are a necessary prerequisite for adequately representing land as a complex system. However, DGVMs and land-system models require better representation of land management and land use decision-making as well as greater biological realism.