What does it mean?

An essential component of human development

Biodiversity is crucial to the reduction of poverty, due to the basic goods and ecosystem services it provides. Through the provision of biological resources and ecosystem services, biodiversity is an essential component of human development.

More than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity, while over 1.6 billion people rely on forests and non-timber forest products for their livelihoods. Habitat degradation and the loss of biodiversity are threatening the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people living in dry and sub-humid lands. Strategies to protect biodiversity must therefore be developed for achieving poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Through Article 6 (b), the Convention invites Parties to “integrate, as far as possible and as appropriate, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies”. This concept is often referred to as “biodiversity mainstreaming” and should be implemented through the National Biodiversity Strategies and Actions Plans (NBSAPS). Both are keys to the realization of the 2010 Biodiversity Target and to the successful implementation of the Convention.

Governments of all Parties are committed to this target "(...) to achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth".

Biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were established when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Millennium Declaration in September 2000. At the turn of the millennium, world leaders adopted a set of 8 measurable, time-bound goals and targets to reduce poverty, hunger and disease. Although Goal 7 of the MDGs is that of ensuring environmental sustainability per se, most MDGs touch upon biodiversity in an indirect manner. As such, wise use of biological resources and ecosystem services is important for the full range of development priorities encompassed by these objectives.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) integrate the 2010 Biodiversity Target to achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss in its goal 7 on environmental sustainability. Biodiversity is also important to the achievement of other MDG targets for the year 2015.