Biodiversity loss — more than an environmental emergency

Journal (part) article
, 3 pages
X00209.pdf
Language:
English
Published: July 2019
Product code:X00209
Source publication:
The Lancet Planetary Health

When biodiversity loss is reported in the media, it is most often in the form of emotionally provoking stories about the plight of iconic species such as rhinos, polar bears, tigers, and elephants. It is no surprise then that development professionals — although they might be personally concerned about these issues — do not see the connection between declining biodiversity and their development agenda of poverty alleviation, improvements of health care, gender equality, and resilience to natural disasters, and other important areas social issues.

This paper highlights how biodiversity is as much as a development priority as the climate change emergency through discussing biodiversity loss' impact on agriculture, human health and climate resilience. As well as providing recommendations on key areas that can be incorporated into a new 10-year framework for biodiversity management in 2020.