Mainstreaming biodiversity into poverty reduction

How can we resolve conflicts between development and conservation? Are existing biodiversity protection initiatives driven solely by Northern interests? Should they be paying more attention to poor people’s livelihood enhancement? How can developing countries be helped to conserve and reap benefits from their biodiversity and develop institutions to link livelihood and biodiversity goals more effectively?

Two books from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) provide a detailed exploration of the linkages between biodiversity and poverty reduction. They analyse the complex trade-offs between conservation and economic development. Drawing on Southern views, they warn of the potential consequences for ecosystem health and local control of the increasing emphasis on private over public goods in economic development and poverty reduction paradigms.

Biodiversity awareness has increased within natural resources management, but greater emphasis has been placed on ‘wild’ animals and plants than on crops and livestock. Without international action, the biodiversity-dependent poor are at risk from materialistic elites and bioprospecting multinationals. Temptations to achieve short-term poverty reduction by ‘mining’ the world’s natural resources, as the sole response, must be avoided. Other more ‘biodiversity-friendly’ poverty reduction options must be pursued, otherwise the poverty reduction process itself is likely to be threatened.

Chapters on forestry, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, rangeland management and insects take a detailed look at threats to biodiversity and measures to protect it around the globe. Humankind’s impact on biodiversity is falling most heavily on the poorest. Among the highlights are:

• the high level of current over-dependence on a few species: of the world’s 7,000 edible plant species we currently get 63 percent of our calorie intake from only four (wheat, rice, sugar and maize); three tree genera account for 85 percent of plantation timber production
• biodiversity-poor environments are more vulnerable to natural disasters and biological threats, for example, diseases and attacks by swarms of insects
• the severe consequences of the estimated annual loss of up 2 percent of all tropical forest cover that can for instance threaten the smooth functioning of global ecosystem services
• the crisis facing herders of yaks (inbreeding of which has led to reduced size and milk yields) is but one example of the crucial importance of conserving genetic diversity through protecting wild stocks of domesticated animals
• large livestock companies still have significant political influence over US aid, which continues to promote ‘modern’, rather than indigenous, livestock breeds.

The books argue the need for much greater sharing of information in order to communicate research findings outside the biodiversity arena and win over sceptical policy-makers. Among the five detailed sets of recommendations are calls to:

• support the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other biodiversity-related conventions, while ensuring they do not disproportionately restrict poor people’s access to biological resources
• scrutinise and monitor poverty reduction programmes to ensure they address biodiversity issues
• identify and promote ‘high value’ and ‘low impact’ niche products for new markets
• help primary producers to improve returns from sustainable agriculture, fishery and forestry by protection of property rights, improved access to market information, appropriate technologies and learning from relevant indigenous knowledge
• promote eco-labelling and other social and economic incentives to strengthen market credibility and competitiveness of biodiversity-friendly products without imposing prohibitive costs on the poor
• encourage business to consider local livelihoods and biodiversity when setting up ethical and environmental standards.

Source(s):
‘Diversity not adversity: sustaining livelihoods with biodiversity’, International Institute for Environment and Development, by Izabella Koziell 2001 Full document.
‘Living off biodiversity: exploring livelihoods and biodiversity issues in natural resource management’, International Institute for Environment and Development, by Izabella Koziell and Jacqueline Saunders, 2001 Full document.

Funded by: Department for International Development, UK

id21 Research Highlight: 18 July 2002

Further Information:
International Institute for Environment and Development
3 Endsleigh Street
London WC1H ODD
UK

Tel: +44 (0)7388 2117
Fax: +44 (0)7388 2826
Contact the contributor: biodiversity@iied.org

Contact the contributor: izabella.koziell@iied.org

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), UK

Other related links:
'Biodiversity conservation and local people's development aspirations'

'Tearing down fences – who benefits from biodiversity conservation?'

This FAO website on biological diversity aims to assist in the conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity for Food and Agriculture

'Guiding principles for biodiversity in development: lessons from field projects'

The WRI Diversity site features resources which outline the causes of biodiversity loss

See the Biodiversity Policy Coordination Division at IUCN

The Convention on Biological Diversity addresses all aspects of biological diversity