Biodiversity and Wellbeing
Biodiversity is the diversity of all life on Earth, which includes diversity within and between species, as well as diversity of landscapes, regions, and habitats. It also includes the diversity of connections between life and living systems (ecosystems).
The connections within and between diverse ecosystems provide the ecoservices on which all life relies. As living beings, humans are part of biodiversity and part of the ecosystems we live in, and human physical, social, and cultural wellbeing are dependent on biodiversity. Yet, human impacts are largely responsible for the increasing global biodiversity loss that has been identified as the 6th mass extinction on Earth.
Much biodiversity loss occurs during periods of great industrialization and intensification of human activity. Social, political and market structures, which are now global in scale, are interconnected drivers of biodiversity loss. Thus, biodiversity loss in a specific location can be driven by global forces. This complexity is why biodiversity loss is called a "wicked problem".
Complex wicked problems, require solutions that acknowledge and address complexity. Integrative conservation considers the entwined psychological, cultural, behavioral, social, and systemic aspects of our world. Integrative conservation responds to biodiversity loss by seeking solutions to that address the psychological, behavioral, biological, cultural, and social factors contributing to biodiversity loss.
Integrative solutions promote biodiversity conservation integrating sustainable livelihoods, health, and social well-being of people into conservation planning and action.
