In Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), we aim to produce groundbreaking insights into how the worldwide emergence of novel ecosystems impacts biodiversity and biosphere functioning and how we can steer these dynamics towards the most positive outcomes for life on Earth as possible. ECONOVO’s research program is organized around four research themes to provide the much-needed basis for predicting the consequences of the accelerating global spread of novel ecosystems and improving their value for Earth’s biodiversity and biosphere functioning.