DIVERSUS: Functional biodiversity effects on ecosystem processes, ecosystem services and sustainability in the Americas: an interdisciplinary approach (CRN2015)

The DiverSus Collaborative Research Network investigates the relationship between land cover change, functional biodiversity, and ecosystem services. The project aims to create a conceptual framework and empirical tools to assist land-use decisions by linking ecological data—such as carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling—with the livelihoods of social actors. Initial work includes case studies in Alaska, Costa Rica, Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina, focusing on measuring functional trait values of dominant species and conducting social surveys to identify ecosystem services.

• The DiverSus network focuses on two primary conceptual links: functional biodiversity serves as the bridge between land-use patterns and ecosystem properties, while ecosystem services link those properties to the livelihoods of social actors.
• The project's goals include establishing the first comparison of how land-use change affects functional biodiversity and how this modifies ecosystem properties, as well as developing recommendations for land-use decisions that consider conflicting stakeholder interests.
• Initial results involve characterizing ecosystem properties, specifically nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, across contrasting land-uses in case studies located in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Alaska.
• The network has begun identifying ecosystem services through social surveys and analyzing the economics of these services in Costa Rica and stakeholder livelihoods in Argentina.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2010). DIVERSUS: Functional biodiversity effects on ecosystem processes, ecosystem services and sustainability in the Americas: an interdisciplinary approach (CRN2015). https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_15.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. DIVERSUS: Functional biodiversity effects on ecosystem processes, ecosystem services and sustainability in the Americas: an interdisciplinary approach (CRN2015). 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=DIVERSUS: Functional biodiversity effects on ecosystem processes, ecosystem services and sustainability in the Americas: an interdisciplinary approach (CRN2015) |date=February 2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_15.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2010diversus, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{DIVERSUS: Functional biodiversity effects on ecosystem processes, ecosystem services and sustainability in the Americas: an interdisciplinary approach (CRN2015)}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }