A review of the interactions between biodiversity, agriculture, climate change, and international trade: research and policy priorities

Summary Striving to feed a population set to reach almost 10 billion people by 2050 in a sustainable way is high on the research and policy agendas. Further intensification and expansion of agricultural lands would be of major concern for the environment and biodiversity. There is, therefore, a need to understand better the impacts on biodiversity from the global food system. Since biodiversity underpins functions and services that are essential to agriculture, greater consideration of the role of biodiversity in the food system is needed. Here we have generated a conceptual framework separating the environment-agriculture-trade system into its key components, revealing complex interactions and highlighting the role of biodiversity. This process identified components that are well studied, and gaps preventing a better understanding of the interactions, trade-offs, and synergies between biodiversity, agriculture, climate change, and international trade. We highlight eight priorities that will promote a greater understanding of the complexities of the environment-agriculture-trade system.