A horizon scan of biological conservation issues for 2026

Sutherland, William J.; Butchart, Stuart H.M.; Clarke, Stewart J.; Doar, Nigel R.; Doran, Helen; Douglas, Imogen C.; Field, Daniel J.; Fleishman, Erica; Gaston, Kevin J.; Herbert-Read, James E.; Hughes, Alice C.; Kaartokallio, Hermanni; Maggs, Luke; Palardy, James E.; Pearce-Higgins, James W.; Peck, Lloyd S.; Pettorelli, Nathalie; Schloss, Irene R.; Spalding, Mark D.; Timoshyna, Anastasiya; Tubbs, Nicolas; Uehara, Thiago; Watson, James E.M.; Wentworth, Jonathan; Wilson, Jeremy D.; Thornton, Ann

Sutherland, William J.; Butchart, Stuart H.M.; Clarke, Stewart J.; Doar, Nigel R.; Doran, Helen; Douglas, Imogen C.; Field, Daniel J.; Fleishman, Erica; Gaston, Kevin J.; Herbert-Read, James E.; Hughes, Alice C.; Kaartokallio, Hermanni; Maggs, Luke; Palardy, James E.; Pearce-Higgins, James W.; Peck, Lloyd S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3479-6791; Pettorelli, Nathalie; Schloss, Irene R.; Spalding, Mark D.; Timoshyna, Anastasiya; Tubbs, Nicolas; Uehara, Thiago; Watson, James E.M.; Wentworth, Jonathan; Wilson, Jeremy D.; Thornton, Ann. 2026 A horizon scan of biological conservation issues for 2026. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 41 (1). 91-101. 10.1016/j.tree.2025.10.016

[A][B][+][-]

Abstract

We present outcomes from our 17th horizon scan of issues potentially impacting global biodiversity conservation in the next decade. Issues are novel, or represent a significant step-change in impact, and are currently not well-known or understood within the conservation community. Our panel of 26 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers scored an initial list of 96 issues, discussed the highest ranked 35 issues at a workshop, and identified the 15 top-ranked issues. This year, technology innovations, including low-power optic artificial intelligence (AI) chips and tiny machine learning (TinyML) models, could revolutionize biodiversity monitoring. We highlight impacts from changes in land-use driven by appetite-suppressing pharmaceuticals and the unknown effects of mirror biomolecules. Highlighting these issues may increase awareness of any impacts on global biodiversity conservation.

Documents