Title: Conservation outcomes of dietary transitions across different values of nature (Global data)
Description: The study uses the open-source land-system model MAgPIE combined with the high resolution land-use allocation model SEALS to assess how global dietary transformations toward healthier, more plant-based could drive outcomes across different conservation values, specifically the “Nature for Nature” and “Nature for Society” conservation value perspectives. While the “Nature for Society” focuses on key regulating Nature’s Contributions to People in managed landscapes, such as pollination supply and soil retention, the “Nature for Nature” perspective emphasises changes in the area of habitat of a broad range of vertebrate species.
MAgPIE utilizes a cost-optimization approach to simulate the dynamics of the global land system throughout the 21st century. It integrates a wide range of socio-economic and spatially explicit biophysical information from the LPJmL model, which includes data on yield patterns, water availability, and carbon stocks. This information is represented at a resolution of 0.5 degrees, which corresponds to approximately 55 km × 55 km at the equator. The SEALS model downscales the simulated land-cover changes derived from MAgPIE to a finer spatial resolution of 10 arc seconds (equivalent to approximately 300 m × 300 m at the equator). The downscaling is driven by adjacency relationships, physical suitability, and conversion eligibility.
Modelled Scenarios:
- SSP2-REF: The reference scenario follows the middle-of-the-road socio-economic pathway (SSP2) for the land-use sector and current trends in dietary transitions.
- SSP2-DIET50/DIET100: The healthy reference diet is based on minimum and maximum recommended intakes for different food groups. Minimum per capita intake targets are assumed for legumes, fruits, vegetables and nuts, while maximum intake targets are defined for sugar, oils, poultry, eggs, red meat, and dairy products. In the DIET100 case, we assume a full linear convergence towards the recommended dietary intakes by 2050. In the DIET50 scenario, we assume only a 50 % convergence towards the per capita intake targets of the healthy reference diet.
- SSP2-BIOS: The BIOS scenario includes a set of conservation measures in line with the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) that support biosphere integrity. These measures include the enlargement of protected areas to 30 % of the global land surface and address important drivers of biodiversity loss outside of protected areas.
Area of habitat output reports and spatial data
The data contains spatial maps and aggregated reports of the Area of Habitat (AOH) change assessment for all assessed species and across all scenarios. The R code used to derive these outputs is also included.
MAgPIE output
The data include model outputs from MAgPIE for all assessed scenarios, such as food demand, crop area, emissions, and land use. The NetCDFs contain the disaggregated land-use projections until 2100, while the report.mif contains regional model outputs.
Reference: von Jeetze, P. J., Weindl, I., Johnson, J. A., Borrelli, P., Panagos, P., Meyer, T., Humpenöder, F., Sauer, P., Dietrich, J. P., Lotze-Campen, H., & Popp, A. 2025. Conservation outcomes of dietary transitions across different values of nature. Nature Sustainability, 8, 1130–1142. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01595-9
