Natural and human-induced disturbances are increasingly transforming terrestrial ecosystems through land cover changes, extreme climate events, and environmental pollution. These factors are accelerating globally, leading to a widespread decline in ecosystem services, loss of biodiversity, and disruptions in ecosystem functioning. Among the most critical consequences of anthropogenic climate change are the rising frequency and intensity of extreme climate events, such as droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, heavy rainfall, and windstorms. For instance, wildfires can severely impact ecosystem services like soil fertility, erosion control, and pollination, while drought episodes can disrupt ecosystem functioning, with cascading effects on various regulating and provisioning services. Although numerous studies have explored the effects of individual climate extremes at landscape scales, there remains a significant gap in understanding how these events interact with other drivers, such as land-use change and climate warming. This session seeks contributions that aim to: i) Enhance our knowledge of how climate extremes, in combination with other global change drivers like land-use change and climate warming, impact ecosystem services and biodiversity. ii) Identify methods to mitigate the decline in ecosystem services and functioning caused by climate extremes. iii) Address research gaps in understanding the full feedback loops between biodiversity loss, changes in ecosystem services, and climate extremes. iv) Explore strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate extremes, strengthen ecosystem resilience, and enhance ecosystem services.
This session also emphasizes the importance of implementing innovative policy tools and nature-based climate solutions that can improve biodiversity and, in turn, bolster ecosystem services. By addressing these critical issues, we can better inform policy decisions and deepen our understanding of biodiversity’s role in buffering against environmental changes.