Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests

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…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: DEB-1234162
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture

  Awards: WVA00104, WVA00105
• EC
  European Commission
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Awards: PR 292/12-1, DFG FOR891
• AN
  Agence Nationale de la Recherche

  Award: ANR-10-LABX-0025
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

  Award: 310030B_147092
• SN
  Seoul National University
• NR
  National Research Foundation of Korea

  Award: NRF-2015R1C1A1A02037721
• NC
  Narodowe Centrum Nauki

  Award: 2011/02/A/NZ9/00108
• MF
  Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment
• H2
  Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

  Awards: 613762, 633814
• SF
  Seventh Framework Programme

  Award: FP7/2007-2013
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

  Award: RGPIN-2014-04181
• FP
  Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

  Award: UID/AGR/04033/2013
• KF
  Korea Forest Service

  Awards: S111215L020110, S211315L020120, S111415L080120
• FN
  Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico

  Awards: 11110270, 1151495
• HM
  H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions