Latin America focuses on biodiversity research more than rest of world, per new report

Biodiversity research is especially intense in Latin America: The relative activity of the region is three times the world average. Latin American scholars publish substantially more on biodiversity research compared to their overall contribution to global research. In this region, Brazil is particularly strong, with 20 of the top 30 most prolific universities for biodiversity research in Latin America.

Those are among the conclusions of a new study Elsevier is presenting in advance of COP16 opens in new tab/window, the UN Biodiversity Conference to be held in Cali, Colombia, Oct 21 to Nov 1. The analysis reviews biodiversity research globally with a focus on Latin America.

The report is based on an analysis of Scopus opens in new tab/window and SciVal opens in new tab/window data, extracted based on a specific search string most relevant to biodiversity research. We identified approximately 137,000 publications between 2019 and 2023, which formed the basis for this report.

It builds on Elsevier’s 2023 report on biodiversity research, which had global coverage with a focus on the Netherlands, which is leading the way in biodiversity research worldwide in terms of scientific impact.

Key findings of the new study are:

• Latin America is three times as active in biodiversity research than the world’s average:

  Biodiversity research scholarly output is especially intense in key Global South regions: Latin America (relative activity 3 times the world average) and Africa (relative activity 2 times the world average) publish substantially more on biodiversity research than their overall contribution to global research.

• Biodiversity research has a significant impact on policy: On average, 10% of biodiversity research is cited in policy documents, which is three times higher than for research across all disciplines. Globally, Australasia (with 20%) and the US & Canada (with 15%) stand out for remarkably high impact on policy. Latin American research has a notable impact on global policy, with 8.5% of Latin American biodiversity studies cited in policy documents, approaching the global average of 10%. This is also considerably higher than the 3.7% of all Latin American research referenced in policy documents.

• Europe makes a strong contribution: As a region, Europe contributes 32% of all biodiversity research, way ahead of the US and Canada (17%) and East Asia (16%, including China). Latin America contributes 11% globally, and in this region, Brazil and Mexico together contribute 58%. In the Top 30 of most prolific universities on biodiversity in Latin America, 20 are from Brazil, three are from Mexico and two are from Chile. The top 5 is comprised of São Paulo (USP), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and State University of Campinas (Unicamp).

• Biodiversity research has a high level of international collaboration: Of all biodiversity research collaborations, 36% are across borders, which is significantly higher than the global average across all disciplines of 21%. In Latin America, 51% of all collaborations are international, mostly collaborating with the US, UK and Spain. The field-weighted citation impact of the international collaboration in Latin America is high, with FWCI values between 2 and 5.

Prof Denise Pires de Carvalho opens in new tab/window, President of the Brazil’s funding agency, CAPES, commented on the high level of global collaboration in biodiversity research and its impact on public policy:

The report clearly demonstrates that research in the field of biodiversity has a scientific impact above the global average. These studies have a high degree of international cooperation ... and there is a strong impact from these biodiversity studies on the formulation of public policies. In other words, these studies have a higher percentage of real-world application compared to other fields of knowledge.

With 11% of biodiversity research output coming from Latin America, Prof Carvalho called out the high performance of Latin American countries, specifically Brazil and Mexico:

Together, these two countries produce about 60% of biodiversity research in Latin America. Brazil is the Latin American country that ranks among the top five countries in the world in terms of biodiversity research output. Therefore, this is a very interesting report that brings forward important data, not only highlighting the significance of studies in the biodiversity field but also the institutions in Latin America that are heavily contributing to this area.

What biodiversity experts are saying

The report includes commentary from leading experts on biodiversity research.

Dr Galetti emphasized that funding is necessary for biodiversity protection:

Securing more local and international funding for biodiversity research in Latin America can empower researchers addressing critical issues like climate change and biodiversity loss. With the highest biological diversity on the planet, Latin American researchers are essential for developing new policies that effectively protect this invaluable biodiversity. Their insights and expertise are crucial for fostering sustainable practices and ensuring the conservation of unique ecosystems.

In the preface, Prof Jean Paul Metzger opens in new tab/window of the Department of Ecology, Institute of Biosciences, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo, and Editor-in-Chief of Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation opens in new tab/window, commented on the timeliness of the report:

Not only we are approaching the discussions at the Biodiversity COP in Cali, Colombia, but we are also experiencing the effects of multiple environmental crises — particularly the climate, food and water crises — that intersect with biodiversity loss and degradation. At this critical time for decision-making on investments in biodiversity conservation, having this state-of-the-art assessment is crucial.

He added:

The data from this report collectively indicate that biodiversity is a rich and fertile field for research and international collaboration, with significant potential to drive meaningful societal change. This knowledge must be fully considered to help us progress toward the targets set by the Global Biodiversity Framework.