Lifestyle Choices

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Ariela Summit, Ecoagriculture Partners,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 11) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 11. Verbatim.

Both rising population levels and increasing levels of consumption in the developed and developing world are responsible, to a large degree, for biodiversity loss worldwide. In the “population versus consumption” debate, some people set up a situation of extremes where they blame biodiversity loss either on rising population levels in the developing world, or on developed (mostly Western) nations who use a disproportionate share of water, fossil fuels and other natural resources.

In reality, we need to improve in both areas to save threatened plants and animals. Tools, such as the environmental footprint analysis, can address issues on the consumption side of the debate. This analysis is a useful tool for examining the impact that individuals have on the world around them, in terms of the resources they consume. 

Choices such as eating a locally based, vegetarian diet and limiting energy usage through efficient heating and cooling systems can substantially reduce this footprint. Eating local food reduces the energy spent in transporting, processing and packaging. Eating lower on the food chain (more vegetables, legumes and grains, less meat) uses substantially less water, and also limits the amount of nutrient contamination of waterways and pollution released by livestock through methane, a gas that contributes to global warming. Energy-efficient buildings, industrial processes and transportation could also reduce the world’s energy needs in 2050 by one third, according to the International Energy Agency.

Tools For Biodiversity Conservation

Movements such as Slow Food International encourage a more sustainable lifestyle by celebrating regionally based cuisine and local food traditions. These foods include Reblochon cheese, which comes from the Haute Savoie region in France, or the more than 17 varieties of corn used for foods ranging from atole to tamales in Mexico. 

Certification of biodiversity friendly food informs consumers of the impacts of their food choices and provides a way to pay farmers more by producing food that also protects the environment.Biodiversity-friendly coffee, for instance, is grown in the shade under a cover of native trees, and provides habitat for birds and other wildlife.

In developing countries, ecotourism has become an important tool to preserve natural habitats while supporting local economies. Ecotourism, similar to regular tourism, involves visitors travelling to foreign countries, but is based on an ethic of environmental conservation. For instance, a tourist might stay in an energy-efficient hotel, take a safari tour to see local wildlife, and go hiking in a national park. These activities both build environmental awareness and appreciation among foreign visitors, and provide a way for local people to make a living while protecting the nature that sustains them.

Some movements to protect biodiversity are political in nature. The movements for national sovereignty emphasise the value of local governance, or ensuring people from the area decide what happens with the biological resources within that area. Often, questions about who has the rights to profit from biodiversity are complicated by land tenure issues, where it is unclear who actually owns the land where the resources in question are located. These issues are negotiated at a local basis, and may be influenced by international bodies such as the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Biodiversity education is an essential tool to cultivatean awareness of the value of biodiversity from an early age. This education can happen at a formal level, as integrated through school curricula, or in guides such as The Youth Guide to Biodiversity. See the box: “Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Education” to further explore biodiversity in formal education.

Education also happens on an informal level, though exposure to a variety of foods, cultures and environments. Such exposure tends to stimulate an awareness of diversity, and instil a creative interest in preserving it, especially when combined with larger awareness-building campaigns.

Organisations and youth groups, such as Guides and Scouts, play an important role in educating children and young people on many environmental and socialissues, including biodiversity. In addition, the media can have a strong influence in raising awareness and promoting positive changes in behaviour (see the box: “Bringing the Forest to the People: The RESPECT Journey” for an example of an artistic approachto biodiversity conservation).