Biodiversity and Wellbeing
Biodiversity is the diversity of all life on Earth, which includes diversity within and between species, diveristy of landscapes, regions, and habitats, and diversity of ecosystems. It also includes the diversity of connections between life and living systems (ecosystems). The connections between within and bewteen diverse ecosystems provide the ecoservices on which all life relies.
As living beings, humans are part of biodiversity and part of the ecosystems they live in, and human physical, social and cultural wellbeing is dependent on biodiversity. Yet, human impacts are largely responsible for the alarming and increasing global biodiversity loss that has been identified as the 6th mass extinction on Earth.
Much biodiversity loss has occurred because the human connection to and dependency on biodiversity was overlooked during periods of great industrialization and intensification of human activity. Established and changing social, political and market structures, which are now global in scale, have created interconnected drivers of biodiversity loss. Biodiversity loss in a specific location is often drive by global social systems as well as planetary natural systems that are impacted by human social systems. This complexity is why biodiversity loss is called a "wicked problem".
Integrative conservation reponds to biodiversity loss by acknowledging the entwined psychological, cultural, behavioral, social, and systemic aspects of our world, and by seeking solutions to biodiversity loss that address the entwined human cultural and social factors. Integrative solutions promote biodiversity conservation by supporting the sustainable livelihoods, health, and social well-being of people. Integrative solutions acknowledge and respect the rights, sovereignty and self-determination, engagement, and cultural heritage of diverse human communities.
