Biodiversity Conservation And Sustainable Development

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Terence Hay-Edie and Bilgi Bulus, GEF Small Grants Programme, Dominique Bikaba, Strong Roots,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 9) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 10. Verbatim.

What is biodiversity conservation? Who’s involved? What do they do? How does biodiversity conservation fit into other big picture goals like sustainable development? What exactly is sustainable development? This chapter takes a closer look at biodiversity conservation and how it fits within the larger concept of sustainable development.

What Is Sustainable Development?

Humans use the planet’s resources such as forests, oil and minerals. Many of these resources have accumulated or have grown over thousands or even millions of years!

The 2010 WWF Living Planet Report estimates that we’ll need the equivalent of two planets by 2030 to support human populations if we continue with our current consumption patterns!

Sustainable human development is about living on Earth without taking more than can be naturally replaced. It is about good health, good living conditions and long-term wealth creation for everybody. All these things must occur within the carrying capacity of the planet. 

To understand sustainable development, think about its three pillars: “economic wealth”, “social equity” and “environmental health”; or in other words “profit”, “people” and “planet”. All three are linked to each other. In other words, any development has to be not only economically sound but also beneficial to social equity and environmental health. See the box: “Defining Sustainable Development” to read the various definitions of sustainable development.