  Mapping pathways to achieving the sustainable development goals requires
understanding and predicting how social, economic and political factors impact
biodiversity. Trends in demography, economic growth, regional alliances and
consumption behaviours can have profound effects on the environment by driving
resource use and production. While these distant socio-economic drivers impact
species and ecosystems at global scales, for example by driving greenhouse gas
emissions and climate change, the most prevalent human impacts on biodiversity
manifest through habitat loss and land use change decisions at finer scales. We
provide the first integrated ecological-economic analysis pathway capable of
supporting both national policy design challenges and global scale assessment
of biodiversity risks posed by socio-economic drivers such as population
growth, consumption and trade. To achieve this, we provide state-of-the-art
integration of economic, land use, and biodiversity modelling, and illustrate
its application using two case studies. We evaluate the national-level
implications of change in trading conditions under a multi-lateral free trade
agreement for the bird biodiversity of Vietnam. We review the implications for
land-use and biodiversity under coupled socio-economic (Shared Socioeconomic
Pathways) and climate (Resource Concentration Pathways) scenarios for
Australia. Our study provides a roadmap for setting up high dimensional
integrated analyses foe evaluating global priorities for protecting nature and
livelihoods in vulnerable areas with the greatest conflicts for economic,
social and environmental opportunities.
