The Watershed Exploration Tool allows watersheds to be compared for their biodiversity and ecosystem function importance, for current (2005) and future (2050) scenarios in three tropical regions: the Great Lakes region of Africa, the Mekong Basin in South-East Asia and the Andes in South America.

Land conversion and intensification of agricultural systems seem unavoidable and likely to result in loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. The MacArthur Foundation funded research by UNEP-WCMC to address the urgent need to understand trade-offs between land uses, and to provide such information and analyses to stakeholders and decision makers. This study combines future scenarios with land use modelling, to evaluate priorities for conservation or other actions, in order to balance demands on land for regions characterised by high biodiversity and poverty.

The project aims to: i) provide a baseline to assess future impacts of development and ii) identify current and potential future priorities to inform activities of stakeholders, in relation to impacts of major commodity markets on biodiversity and ecosystem functions.