Biodiversity conservation in a changing environment beyond 2020

In this special collection, we bring together a group of leading conservation related scientists from the different parts of the world to identify grand challenges for biodiversity conservation, conflicts and trade-offs between conservation and utilization, and strategies and policies for sustainable utilization and management of biodiversity resources at global, regional or national level. We argue that genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity are equally important for biodiversity conservation at global level, while the importance of genetic diversity has largely been overlooked since the Rio Convention in 1992. Biodiversity conservation and utilization are strongly related not only to the provision of ecosystem services, but also to the delivery of sustainable development goals. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the links between the implementation of global biodiversity policies and production and consumption patterns, and the nexus between biodiversity loss and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the solid science basis, recommendations will be provided for the development and implementation of the post-2020 Biodiversity Agenda.