Breakout

Title: Biomass, Biofuels, and Biodiversity

Organizer: Clifford Duke, Ecological Society of America

Additional Discussants:
Robin Jenkins, Dupont Central Research and Development Experiment Station
Liz Marshall, World Resources Institute
Dennis Ojima, Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Richard Pouyat, US Forest Service
Al Sample, Pinchot Institute for Conservation

Session Goals:
• Identify knowledge needs for the maintenance of biodiversity on lands converted to or newly developed for biofuels production
• Explore mechanisms to move that knowledge from the scientific sphere to practical application in the policy sphere

Summary:
Biofuels are receiving much attention as a potential means of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and net emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Although production of biofuels is expanding rapidly in the United States and elsewhere, potential impacts on biodiversity have not been fully explored. These impacts are associated with changes in land use both from food crop to biofuels feedstock production and from natural systems to agricultural systems. As production expands, it is critical to identify means to maintain and enhance biodiversity in agricultural landscapes and to preserve biodiversity in relatively pristine systems. This session will build on recent discussions sponsored by organizations including the Ecological Society of America, the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, and the National Research Council on the ecological dimensions of biofuels production, to provide a specific focus on biodiversity and mechanisms to incorporate knowledge about biodiversity conservation into biofuels policy.