TY - JOUR

T1 - Smaller human populations are neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for biodiversity conservation

AU - Hughes, Alice C.

AU - Tougeron, Kévin

AU - Martin, Dominic A.

AU - Menga, Filippo

AU - Rosado, Bruno H. P.

AU - Villasante, Sebastian

AU - Madgulkar, Shweta

AU - Gonçalves, Fernando

AU - Geneletti, Davide

AU - Diele-Viegas, Luisa Maria

AU - Berger, Sebastian

AU - Colla, Sheila R.

AU - de Andrade Kamimura, Vitor

AU - Caggiano, Holly

AU - Melo, Felipe

AU - de Oliveira Dias, Marcelo Guilherme

AU - Kellner, Elke

AU - do Couto, Edivando Vitor

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Human population (often treated as overpopulation) has long been blamed as the main cause of biodiversity loss. Whilst this simplistic explanation may seem convenient, understanding the accuracy of the statement is crucial to develop effective priorities and targets to manage and reverse ongoing biodiversity loss. If untrue, the assertion may undermine practical and effective measures currently underway to counter biodiversity loss by distracting from true drivers, alienating some of the most diverse countries in the world, and failing to tackle the structural inequalities which may be behind global biodiversity declines. Through examining the drivers of biodiversity loss in highly biodiverse countries, we show that it is not population driving the loss of habitats, but rather the growth of commodities for export, particularly soybean and oil-palm, primarily for livestock feed or biofuel consumption in higher income economies. Thus, inequitable consumption drives global biodiversity loss, whilst population is used to scapegoat responsibility. Instead, the responsibilities are clear and have recently been summarized by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPBES: Leverage points for biodiversity conservation lie in reducing unsustainable consumption through diet shifts, tracking supply chains, and technological innovation as well as ensuring sustainable production to reduce biodiversity losses associated with industrial agriculture.

AB - Human population (often treated as overpopulation) has long been blamed as the main cause of biodiversity loss. Whilst this simplistic explanation may seem convenient, understanding the accuracy of the statement is crucial to develop effective priorities and targets to manage and reverse ongoing biodiversity loss. If untrue, the assertion may undermine practical and effective measures currently underway to counter biodiversity loss by distracting from true drivers, alienating some of the most diverse countries in the world, and failing to tackle the structural inequalities which may be behind global biodiversity declines. Through examining the drivers of biodiversity loss in highly biodiverse countries, we show that it is not population driving the loss of habitats, but rather the growth of commodities for export, particularly soybean and oil-palm, primarily for livestock feed or biofuel consumption in higher income economies. Thus, inequitable consumption drives global biodiversity loss, whilst population is used to scapegoat responsibility. Instead, the responsibilities are clear and have recently been summarized by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPBES: Leverage points for biodiversity conservation lie in reducing unsustainable consumption through diet shifts, tracking supply chains, and technological innovation as well as ensuring sustainable production to reduce biodiversity losses associated with industrial agriculture.

KW - Biodiversity loss

KW - Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

KW - Overpopulation

KW - Solutions

KW - Targets

KW - United Nations

U2 - 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109841

DO - 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109841

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85144025747

VL - 277

JO - Biological Conservation

JF - Biological Conservation

SN - 0006-3207

M1 - 109841

ER -