Global Biodiversity Experts Identify 15 Emerging Conservation Challenges for the Decade Ahead

Global biodiversity experts have identified 15 emerging conservation challenges that could reshape environmental policy, land use, and ecosystem protection over the coming decade, according to the latest global horizon scan published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

Conservation outlook

The scan is part of a long-running annual exercise led by international scientists, policymakers, and practitioners to flag early signals that are not yet central to policy debates but may soon become important for nature and people. This year’s review distilled nearly 100 potential trends and breakthroughs into 15 issues considered either newly emerging or large enough in scale and impact to demand attention.

Among the clearest themes are environmental changes already gaining momentum, including widespread soil moisture decline, ocean darkening, and the shrinking of seaweed habitats such as kelp forests and sargassum beds. Researchers say these shifts could affect food webs, freshwater systems, marine productivity, and coastal resilience, even though the full consequences are still unfolding.

The scan also points to changing human systems that may affect biodiversity in unexpected ways. Those include the rise of appetite-suppressing medicines that could alter demand for land-intensive foods, new ways of turning plastic waste into protein, and financing tools such as the Brazil-led Tropical Forests Forever Facility, which aims to reward countries for keeping deforestation low.

Technology and monitoring

A second major theme is the growing role of technology in conservation monitoring. The scan highlights Tiny Machine Learning devices that can run AI models off-grid, helping track wildlife, crops, soil, and potential poaching activity in remote areas with limited internet access. It also flags other digital and engineering developments, including optical AI chips and digital twins, as possible tools for future biodiversity management.

The point of the horizon scan is not to predict the future with certainty, but to help conservation leaders prepare earlier for changes that could otherwise arrive too late to manage well. By identifying threats and opportunities before they become mainstream issues, the exercise aims to support better planning for biodiversity, climate resilience, food systems, and forest protection.