Biodiversity–from ocean megafauna like blue whales, to coastal mangrove stands, to the smallest woodlice in leaf litter on the forest floor–is essential in protecting our climate and contributing to the wellbeing of all living things. Despite its importance, global biodiversity has suffered immensely as a result of anthropogenic climate change.

Over one million species are threatened with extinction, many in the coming decades¹. More than 75% of global freshwater resources and a third of land area are devoted to livestock and crops to the detriment of local biodiversity. Toxic sludge, heavy metals, and solvents dumped into oceans and waterways have resulted in more than 400 ocean “dead zones.” Fisheries are rapidly becoming depleted.

“The current disruption shows us just how deeply our wellbeing is provided for by natural systems and the stable climate our ancestors have enjoyed over tens of thousands of years,” says Dr. David Obura, Earth Commission member and founding director of CORDIO East Africa. “All our actions are determined or modified by the climate we live in, affecting the clothes we wear and buildings we inhabit, as well as many of the activities and occupations we can or can’t do where we live. … Only now, when we have disrupted the natural biodiversity and climate systems that provide these benefits, do we see how much we depend on them.”

Dr. Cornelia Krug, of bioDISCOVERY, a Future Earth Global Research Network, says “The greatest opportunities are there where synergies exist–where protection of biodiversity supports climate mitigation, or contributes to human wellbeing.”

Human beings, far from being separate from nature, are part of the same natural systems that are crumbling under the pressure of global climate change. Our outcomes and wellbeing are inextricably linked to the health of our climate systems and the biodiversity found therein.

There is an instinct to protect “untouched” or “pristine” wilderness areas in the name of protecting biodiversity. While protecting those existing areas and ecosystems is essential to maintaining vital carbon sinks and preserving species, it’s important to remember that the entire Earth system is part of the biodiversity puzzle.  

“Even our gut microbiome is less diverse than it used to be a few decades ago in part because our diets are becoming less diverse. Biodiversity loss does not only affect wild species–the world is also losing cultivated plant species and livestock breeds. With the loss of these species, we are also losing knowledge of specific forms of use and customs associated with [them],” says Dr. Krug. 

Living in Harmony with Nature

What does “living in harmony with nature” mean?

For the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, it’s both a goal and an edict. Its draft version of the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, set to be finalized this summer, describes the importance of slowing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2030 and “living in harmony with nature” by 2050. 

The framework urges rapid, cross-sectoral action to address and halt biodiversity loss. Some, like the well-known 30×30 initiative, span ecosystems and geographies. Others, like addressing nonpoint source pollution and runoff into freshwater and marine ecosystems, are more targeted to industries. All play an important role in the fight to protect biodiversity.

International agreements, conventions, and conferences have made strides in the effort to stem the tide of biodiversity loss, but much work remains to be done, especially in terms of policy and governmental implementation of programs, protections, and necessary cross-sector restructuring. 

But these solutions should be grounded in local needs, and not restricted to simplistic conservation or preservation initiatives, says Dr. Obura. It’s critically important, he says, to move away from top-down, financial-based approaches in biodiversity decision-making. 

“Massive mobilization of resources, and restructuring finance and economic decisions around valuing nature and peoples’ equity, are going to need to happen to resolve the current conundrum,” says Dr. Obura. High-consumption countries that call for in-situ conservation while simultaneously “driving large-scale extraction and conversion” of these same lands have “painted humanity into a corner.”

There is great opportunity, says Dr. Obura, in localizing conservation decisions that protect biodiversity and transforming our current systems to be nature- and people-oriented, not consumption-oriented. “For example, an early narrow focus on biofuels or carbon sequestration only focused on maximizing crop and tree growth in monocultures of non-indigenous species, destroying all aspects of local biodiversity, and the myriad benefits it supplied to people, thus harming local communities.” 

Living in harmony with nature, says Dr. Krug, looks like decisions that maximize human wellbeing and protect biodiversity. “Intact mangrove forests not only take up carbon–they also protect the coastline from swell waves and storm surges. Inland, riverine floodplains and wetlands protect against flooding. In cities, vegetation absorbs pollutants, and regulates local climate.” Urban heat island effects, coastal flooding, and poor drinking water quality can be mitigated with proper planning and prioritization of nature-based solutions. 

Efforts to protect biodiversity are essential to our wellbeing and the health of the planet. Future Earth’s vast, global network of researchers, scientists, and innovators work every day on actionable solutions to these problems–together, we can create a world in which all life on Earth can thrive. 

¹ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/