The focus of the AFE Group is to generate knowledge and develop state-of-the-art modeling tools to advance the scientific community and support policies that enable better understanding and management of global and regional agriculture, forestry, and natural land ecosystems.
The basis for improved assessment and management of natural resources is a deep understanding of complex and interacting biophysical processes within terrestrial ecosystems. The AFE Group aims to achieve a leading position in addressing research questions requiring integrated analyses of agriculture, forestry, and natural land ecosystems at global and regional levels.
The group’s strategic ambition of biophysical tool integration for, among others, the assessment of nature-based/climate solutions, landscape restoration options, agro-forestry, or future cropland management, is at the core of the IIASA research domain on biodiversity and ecosystem services. With sustainability and biodiversity aspects as cross-cutting environmental safeguards, the group is closely aligned with the strategic direction of its host program on Biodiversity and Natural Resources. This structural and strategic setup will ensure that AFE becomes a valuable research pillar and contributor to the overarching IIASA strategy.
The Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) at IIASA offers an exceptional opportunity for PhD students to engage in collaborative research with IIASA's interdisciplinary teams.
Models, tools, datasets
Wildfire climate impacts and adaptation model (FLAM)
The Environmental Policy Integrated Climate-based global gridded crop model (EPIC-IIASA)
Global Forest Model (G4M)
BeWhere Model: A Spatially Explicit System Optimization Tool
Projects
Land Management for Sustainability (LAMASUS)
Integrated Future Wildfire Hot Spot Mapping for Austria (Austria Fire Futures )
The Human-Tech Nexus - Building a Safe Haven to Cope with Climate Extremes (HuT)
Evolving Participatory Information System for Nature-based Climate Solutions (Epistem)
Staff
Shrey Patel
Guest Research Assistant (AFE)
Jelena Zrno
Administrative Assistant for Research Program (AFE)
Ping Yowargana
Senior Research Scholar (AFE)
Qiankun Niu
Guest Research Intern (AFE)
News
11 March 2026
Centuries of net-negative emissions required to secure a safe climate future
Two new studies published in leading scientific journals conclude that stabilizing long-term climate risks will require sustained net-negative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions for centuries. Approaching the problem from distinct perspectives – legal and technological feasibility on the one hand, and economic optimization under uncertainty on the other – the research converges on a consistent message: reaching net zero is not enough.
05 March 2026
Building more inclusive pathways to sustainable landscapes
IIASA recently welcomed Distinguished Visiting Fellow Éliane Ubalijoro, CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), for a lecture on the importance of gender and social inclusion in forest and landscape governance and an interdisciplinary discussion on equity and sustainability.
13 November 2025
Austria Fire Futures Final Stakeholder Workshop
The final stakeholder workshop of the Austria Fire Futures (AFF) project gathered leading experts, policymakers, foresters, firefighters, and tourism representatives on October 28, 2025, at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg to discuss Austria’s growing wildfire risks and the way forward toward climate resilience.
Events
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna
Global Summit on Advancing Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches
Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Bratislava
IIASA – Comenius University Joint Seminar
Laxenburg, Austria
The Austria Fire Futures (AFF) Final Stakeholder Workshop
Focus
Annual Report 2025: Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program Highlights
Balancing the needs of people and nature is one of the defining challenges of our time. Throughout 2025, the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program advanced research on how societies can pursue climate, biodiversity, and development goals while managing growing pressures on land, water, energy, and ecosystems.
16 May 2025
The looming shadow of nuclear winter
A team of scientists led by IIASA researcher Christian Folberth is contributing to international nuclear winter research through the ANFOS project, which aims to provide a comprehensive picture of how a nuclear conflict could alter crop growth, cause supply chain disruptions, and consequently affect global food security.
Publications
Duncanson, L., Montesano, P.M., Neuenschwander, A., Zarringhalam, A., Thomas, N., Minor, D.M., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Guenther, E., Feng, T., Leitold, V., Hancock, S., Armston, J., Puliti, S., Mandel, A.I., Shah, S., Silva, C., Purslow, M., Bruening, J., Breidenbach, J., Næsset, E., Saarela, S., Hunka, N., Kellner, J.R., Healey, S.P., Shchepashchenko, D. , Wallerman, J., Neigh, C.S.R., Carvalhais, N., & Dubayah, R. (2026). Global and boreal estimates of woody aboveground biomass for 2020: Filling GEDI'S northern data gap with ICESat-2 and harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2. Remote Sensing of Environment 340 e115406. 10.1016/j.rse.2026.115406.
Mehrara, M., Zetterholm, J., Toffolo, A., & Wetterlund, E. (2026). Risk, flexibility, and investment in Fischer–Tropsch fuels: Insights from real options analysis. Cleaner Energy Systems 13 e100232. 10.1016/j.cles.2026.100232.
Tiwari, S. , Karimi, H., Garg, A., Behbahani, M.R., Joshi, S., Singh, J.G., Schipfer, F., & Kraxner, F. (2026). Review of multi-vectored energy hubs: Concept, architecture, management strategies, and research directions. Energy Reports 15 e109105. 10.1016/j.egyr.2026.109105.
Wang, S., Jin, X., Qu, Y., Fan, Y., Liu, J., Han, B., & Zhou, Y. (2026). Unraveling spatiotemporal inequalities and nonlinear drivers in the sustainable transition of cultivated land use: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta region, China. Applied Geography 191 e104028. 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.104028.
Hong, J., Lee, M., Kim, Y., Lee, Y.‐S., Wee, J., Song, J., Kim, T., Park, J.‐J., Kraxner, F., Lee, W.‐K., Song, Y., & Cho, K. (2026). Integrating habitat suitability, socioeconomics, and infrastructure to assess global biological invasion risk under climate change: A case study of the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis. Pest Management Science 10.1002/ps.70952. (In Press)
Pandey, A.K., Sapre, S., Tiwari, S. , & Pareek, K. (2026). A techno-economic framework for hydrogen delivery pricing via pipelines in emerging Indian energy markets. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 232 e154996. 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.154996.