“Biodiversity has now truly become part of global policy. This year, a binding agreement was adopted requiring all countries, including Denmark, to ensure that 30% of the ocean is protected — with 10% of that strictly protected, meaning no activities at all.”
“However,” he adds more pragmatically, “unfortunately, many of these political goals are rarely met. For instance, hardly any of the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) ‘Aichi Targets’ set for 2020 were achieved. We also see leaders who aim to meet targets without implementing them properly.”
The Importance of Where We Protect
Asked how conservation goals can be implemented effectively, Lindegren highlights the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy, which commits member states to protect 30% of marine areas by 2030, with 10% under strict protection.
“It’s crucial to know where to designate protected areas for them to truly benefit biodiversity. That’s where scientists can really help policymakers,” he says.
“Where I hope we can make real progress is by improving our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms driving biodiversity change — and how altered biodiversity reshapes ecosystem structure and function.”
“Next comes identifying areas that are well suited for restoration, and others where nature-based solutions — such as artificial reefs — may be needed to give nature a helping hand,” he explains.
Knowledge to Act On
The notion of “giving nature a helping hand” leads Lindegren to reflect on how society acts on the knowledge it gains.
“We want to create positive change, but it’s often not enough to simply advocate for it — we need stronger arguments,” he says.
“Biodiversity is, of course, a natural value in itself, something we can experience and enjoy. But conservation also connects directly to our own lives — to food security.”
“That’s a message that resonates more strongly with policymakers and with people who can engage in discussions about it. For me, an important task is to explain how biodiversity affects the overall functioning of ecosystems and their ability to provide essential services and resources.”
The Crisis Behind the Crisis
Lindegren’s research centres on functional biodiversity and ecosystems — studying how biodiversity is influenced by human pressures such as overexploitation, habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change.
According to IPBES (the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), the primary drivers of biodiversity loss are land and sea use change, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasive species.
“Alongside habitat loss and resource overexploitation, the climate crisis is a key driver of biodiversity loss. The ocean’s climate largely dictates which organisms can survive in certain areas,” he explains.
“We already know this from polar research. In the Arctic, many species are now experiencing temperatures warmer than those they’re adapted to, so both predators and prey are shifting their ranges. This means that the basic structure of the food web is changing — we’re witnessing a reorganisation of marine food chains.”
Seeing Beyond Disciplines
“For me as a researcher, it’s about understanding the bigger picture — how we humans affect biodiversity and how we in turn are affected by those changes,” says Lindegren.
“I’m very interested in that intersection, but it’s also where my expertise reaches its limits. So I believe we need closer collaboration across sections and perhaps with other universities — for example, when it comes to valuing nature.”
“It’s vital to include ecosystem services in the picture, which is why DTU Aqua’s new strategic focus on biodiversity must also involve collaboration with other disciplines — sociology, economics, and beyond,” he concludes.
