Nature Map Argentina: Areas of global significance for the conservation of biodiversity, water and carbon in Argentina

MONJEAU, ADRIAN

Bejijng

Encuentro; FABLE International Meeting; 2019

National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of China

Sustainable development goals are at a crossroads. Producing food and conserving biodiversity, freshwater sources, and carbon stocks can be disputed both as physical space and as a political and financial priority. This paper shows the first application on a national scale of the global Nature Map model, in Argentina, the results of which are prioritization maps of these goals in an integrated manner. We found that managing 30% of optimally selected land area for conservation could be sufficient to improve the conservation status of over 80% of species while safeguarding over 80% of carbon stocks and freshwater supplies, with a trade-off of 12% loss in croplands. Minimizing the overlap with cropland areas would soften the trade-off with minimal reductions in conservation outcomes. Our model is proposed as a tool for resolving the controversy in land use.