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research newsiiasa research www.iiasa.ac.at 5winter 2017/18 ◼ options Mapping and the Citizen Sensor What role can citizens play in volunteering geographic data? A new book co-edited by IIASA researchers highlights the current state of research on citizen science, and involving volunteers in scientific activities, especially for policy. The book is available as a free, open access digital document. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/mapbook-17 43 Visions for Complexity A new book edited by IIASA researcher Stefan Thurner brings together visions from 43 acclaimed scientists on the topics of complexity and big data science. These research areas may prove instrumental in helping to tackle future global challenges, which are highly complex and interlinked. The chapters, each from different authors, include discussions of the definition of complexity science, as well as its potential usefulness and application. pure.iiasa.ac.at/14000 Education First! A new popular book by IIASA World Population Program Director Wolfgang Lutz explores the key role of education in the future of world population growth, and therefore also the interlinked challenges of sustainable development. Coauthored with Reiner Klingholz of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, the new book examines historical case studies as well as global data sets, including population projections developed at IIASA that include not only the number of people but also education levels. It makes the case for a global alliance on education as a strategy for future wellbeing on the planet. pure.iiasa.ac.at/14815 Loss and Damage from Climate Change Loss and damage is one of the most contentious issues in the international climate change debate. Who is responsible for climate-change related damages? Who should pay for them? An upcoming book from IIASA researchers Reinhard Mechler, JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer, Thomas Schinko, and others, provides a comprehensive view of current thinking on the topic, including the concepts and principles behind it, as well as policy options. pure.iiasa.ac.at/14506 U sing forest biomass products—such as timber, fuel wood, or paper—in a sustainable manner, without exhausting resources or diminishing forest biodiversity, requires transparency on the origin and management of those forests. One way to implement sustainable forest management is by certifying the forest operations on a certain area. By showing where certified forest areas are located in relation to non-certified and primary forest land, a new global map released in June 2017 can provide a basis for a global pathway towards sustainable resource use. The map, which is available freely online and described in an article in the journal Forest Policy and Economics, shows certified forest areas at 1-kilometer resolution—far more detailed than currently available maps. It was developed by IIASA researchers together with the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. The new map combines country-level statistics with modern remote sensing products and crowdsourcing. This high resolution approach—applied to forest certification and sustainability for the first time—allows a large range of users, including policymakers, non-governmental organizations, researchers, forest organizations, private investors, and the general public, to zoom into the area of their interest. It also provides a significant step forward in transparency and credibility. “This is the first tool where forest users and producers alike can find the spatial information they need on forest biomass sustainability,” says IIASA Ecosystems Services and Management Program Deputy Director Florian Kraxner, who led the project. KL Further info Kraxner F, Schepaschenko D, Fuss S, Lunnan A, Kindermann G, Aoki K, Dürauer M, Shvidenko A, et al. (2017). Mapping certified forests for sustainable management - A global tool for information improvement through participatory and collaborative mapping. Forest Policy and Economics 83: 10-18. [pure.iiasa.ac.at/14656] Florian Kraxner kraxner@iiasa.ac.at First map of certified forests New books by IIASA scientists