GCBC Launches Fourth Research Call to Tackle Drivers of Biodiversity Loss

September 21, 2026

Some of the biggest opportunities for protecting biodiversity lie in understanding the systems shaping what happens to nature.

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) has announced the theme for its fourth Research Grant Competition (RGC4): “Enabling transformative change: addressing drivers of biodiversity loss in three critical regions.”

The new call will focus on the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Coral Triangle, three globally significant regions where biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and national security are closely connected. It will support research into the structural and systemic forces driving ecosystem loss and how evidence can inform practical responses.

As Dan McGonigle, Head of International Biodiversity and Climate Research at the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said, the call explores how “governments, development organisations, and communities can act more systemically,” creating conditions in which ecosystems can help tackle poverty, protect nature, and support adaptation to climate change.

RGC4 will focus on three research priorities: socio-ecological dynamics and transformative pathways, commodity markets and financial flows, and governance and institutions. Together, they will examine issues ranging from how production and investment decisions affect ecosystems to the governance arrangements that can support lasting biodiversity and livelihood outcomes.

The emphasis is on research that can be put to use. Projects will be expected to demonstrate a clear pathway from research to evidence that can inform governance, policy, or investment decisions, while engaging with the communities, practitioners, policymakers, and other partners connected to the systems being studied.

Dr. Jamie Gordon, Biodiversity Lead at GCBC, said the competition will encourage researchers to engage directly with “commodity markets, finance systems, and policy—the places where real change is needed,” with the aim of building a portfolio of high-quality, solution-oriented research across the three regions.

Funded by Defra and managed in partnership with DAI, GCBC aims to catalyze transformational change by increasing evidence and understanding of how biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and improved livelihoods interact.

The RGC4 application window is expected to open for concept notes on October 19, 2026, and successful applicants will be invited to submit full proposals early in 2027.

To learn more about RGC4, read the full GCBC announcement.