Biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction: what’s the connection? A systematic mapping of the evidence

International policy statements refer to the apparently self-evident truth that preserving biodiversity is closely linked to alleviating poverty. Certainly, development planners should take biodiversity more seriously — mainstream development pathways continue to degrade natural environments and deplete valuable biodiversity resources. But a systematic mapping of the literature shows that rigorous, documented evidence of whether, how, and how far biodiversity can alleviate poverty is surprisingly sparse.

This research report presents the rationale behind this systematic mapping exercise, its methodology and results, and concludes that researchers and policymakers must do more to explore the complex relationships that exist if policies and institutions that enable an effective contribution of biodiversity to poverty reduction are to be maximised.