title: Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests.
abstract: 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 cost to implement effective global conservation. This highlights the need for a worldwide reassessment of biodiversity values, forest management strategies, and conservation priorities.
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. albeca.liang@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Crowther
authors.affiliation: Forestry Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicolas
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authors.lastname: Picard
authors.affiliation: Landcare Research, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Susan
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authors.lastname: Wiser
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
authors.forename: Mo
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authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Agri-Food, Animal and Environmental Sciences, University of Udine via delle Scienze 206, Udine 33100, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
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authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institut für Biogeochemie, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Ernst-Detlef
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authors.forename: A David
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authors.forename: Fabio
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authors.lastname: Bozzato
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forest Growth and Yield Science, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
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authors.affiliation: Departament de Producció Vegetal i Ciència Forestal, Universitat de Lleida-Agrotecnio Center (UdL-Agrotecnio), Avinguda Rovira Roure, 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain. Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC), Carretera De St. Llorenç de Morunys, km. 2, E-25280 Solsona, Spain.
authors.forename: Sergio
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authors.affiliation: Centre d'étude de la forêt (CEF), Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada.
authors.forename: Alain
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authors.affiliation: Centre de Coopération Internationale en la Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UMR Joint Research Unit Ecology of Guianan Forests (EcoFoG) AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de la Guyane, Kourou, French Guiana.
authors.forename: Bruno
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authors.affiliation: Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Wageningen University and Research (Alterra), Team Vegetation, Forest and Landscape Ecology-6700 AA, Netherlands. Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands.
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authors.affiliation: Wageningen University and Research (Alterra), Team Vegetation, Forest and Landscape Ecology-6700 AA, Netherlands. Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen UR, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert-Jan
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authors.affiliation: Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond NSW 2753, Australia.
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authors.forename: Helder
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authors.affiliation: Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Georg-August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Georg-August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
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authors.forename: Markus
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authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Wageningen University and Research (Alterra), Team Vegetation, Forest and Landscape Ecology-6700 AA, Netherlands.
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authors.forename: Hyun Seok
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Ferradas, Itabuna 45613-204, Brazil.
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, PL-62-035 Kornik, Poland. Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Faculty of Forestry, ul. Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warszawa, Poland. Polish State Forests, ul. Grojecka 127, 02-124 Warszawa, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
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authors.affiliation: Forestry Faculty, University Stefan Cel Mare of Suceava, 13 Strada Universitații,720229 Suceava, Romania. Institutul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare în Silvicultură, 128 Bd Eroilor, 077190 Voluntari, Romania.
authors.forename: Olivier
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authors.affiliation: Department of Agri-Food Production and Environmental Science, University of Florence, P. le Cascine 28, 51044 Florence, Italy.
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authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Rivadavia 1917 (1033) Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) Estación Experimental Agropecuaria (EEA) Santa Cruz, Mahatma Ghandi 1322 (9400) Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA), Lisandro de la Torre 1070 (9400) Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina.
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authors.affiliation: Tropical Biodiversity Section, MUSE-Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation, Kabale, Uganda.
authors.forename: Robert
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pascal A
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authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Conservation, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
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authors.affiliation: Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Forestry and Beekeeping Division, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
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authors.affiliation: Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Apartado 1701-2184, Quito, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Renato
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authors.lastname: Valencia
authors.affiliation: UPR F&S Montpellier, 34398, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
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authors.affiliation: Forest Management Department, Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS), Paramaribo, Suriname.
authors.forename: Verginia
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authors.lastname: Wortel
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET)/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CENAREST), B. P. 13354, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Nestor L
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authors.lastname: Engone-Obiang
authors.affiliation: Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Coordenacao de Botanica, Belem, PA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Leandro V
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authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: National Forest Authority, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: David E
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authors.affiliation: Prolongación Bolognesi Mz-E-6, Oxapampa Pasco, Peru.
authors.forename: Rodolfo M
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authors.lastname: Vasquez
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University College London, UK. School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Simon L
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authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond NSW 2753, Australia. Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
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mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D065928:Forests; D014197:Trees / Q000502:physiology*