G7-Elmau-Progress-Report-2015-Biodiversity-A-vital-foundation-for-sustainable-development

8 G7 ELMAU PROGRESS REPORT2. The global status of biodiversity,the drivers of biodiversity loss andimpacts on human well-beingKey messages• Biodiversity – the variety of genes, species and ecosystems – underpins renewable natural capital and thedelivery of nature’s services. It enables a host of vital services, including clean water, flood protection, croppollination, air quality and resilience to drought as well as providing resources to support economic growth.• Ecosystems and the goods and services they provide form the foundation on which every society andeconomy is built, which is crucial not only for securing economic growth but for supporting livelihoods,including for the poorest.• Although it is inherently difficult to assess the global status of biodiversity, most indicators used to measurebiodiversity show negative trends: Biodiversity continues to be lost at an alarming rate.• A major reason for this continued loss is the still increasing pressure from population and economic growth,preferences regarding consumption, and decisions that enhance pressure on biodiversity through climatechange, land-use change, overexploitation, introduction of alien species and pollution.• Conserving biodiversity and its services requires activities aimed at direct protection but also measuresthat address the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss. Conservation is not in conflict with, but rather isthe cornerstone of, careful management of a nation’s natural resources.Ecosystems and the goods and services they provide form thefoundation on which every society and economy is built.Biodiversity underpins renewable natural resources andthe delivery of nature’s services. Although increasinglyrecognized as the basis for livelihoods as well as economicdevelopment, biodiversity and the services it provides tohuman societies continue to be depleted. The underlyingdrivers for biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation areforemost associated with human use of natural resourcesand economic development, which can lead to overexploitation;pollution; change, conversion and destruction ofecosystems; and increasingly with changes due to climatechange and introduced species. Acting on this continuedloss has long been recognized as a priority in internationalenvironmental policy (e.g., SCBD 1992), including by theG7 (see Chapter 1). The report uses the framework of theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to outline thesecomplex interrelationships and to provide the basis forthe presentation of the actions taken by the G7.2.1 The importance of biodiversity for humanwell-being and poverty reductionAccording to the CBD, biological diversity – or “biodiversity”– is the “variability among living organisms from all sourcesincluding, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquaticecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they arepart: This includes genetic diversity and diversity withinspecies, between species and of ecosystems”(SCBD 1992). 1This broad definition makes clear that its conservation anduse affect nearly every part and level of society, and anysector of decision-making and economy. For instance,genetic diversity of plants and animals in agriculture is keyfor sustainable and resilient food production (e.g., FAO2010b).Biodiversity underpins ecosystem services. The MillenniumEcosystem Assessment distinguishes four types of ecosystemservices (MA 2005). First, provisioning services in which