Reconciliation between the environment and economic development

Biodiversity is the term for the variation in species, high levels of biodiversity in an ecosystem can provide many services and benefits for both people and the planet, so conserving biodiversity in all ecosystems especially hotspots is a crucial part of the future. Another vital element of the future is economic development, with LEDC’s experiencing absolute poverty and the wealth gap widening, economic development will also provide benefits for things such as healthcare and quality of life. The relationship between conserving biodiversity and economic development is often conflicting as economic development in terms of urbanisation can mean deforestation and pollution. Stakeholders such as business owners, TNC’s and environmental charities and groups like WWF have different opinions when it comes to conservation. Biodiversity is often highest in LDC’s where land is left pristine with little economic development, but as development occurs in LEDC’s and NIC’s conservation becomes less of a priority over profit. However, once a country reaches MEDC status it tends to place more importance on conserving ecosystems and has the economic funds to do so due to its prior economic development suggesting that perhaps conserving and economic development can actually go hand in hand.

Ecosystems offer services such as carbon sequestration, medicines and sources of food, however overconsumption of these services and over harvesting can cause extinction and degradation. If humans continue to harvest services at an unsustainable yield  for economic purposes such as cattle ranches for beef, fishing to improve the market and profit and medicines for advancement, these ecosystems will be in jeopardy.  However, whilst an unsustainable yield makes the reconciliation of conservation and economic development improbable, schemes and projects such as the SMMA in St Lucia can help to balance protection and still continue to use the ecosystem for economic benefits for the community. The SMMA was created in response to conflict between marine conservation of coral reefs and industries like fishing and tourism in 1995. They managed the area and conservation of fish species with local stakeholders to ensure conservation did not prevent economic benefits and vice versa. This is an example of how conservation of biodiversity and economic development can co-exist.

The WWF Living Planet Report 2012 highlighted the problems of economic development on conservation, showing how demand of services from the natural world for the developed world is outstripping supply. The LPI has declined by 30% in just 38 years suggesting how increased economic development that has rapidly occurred in the last 50 years has had a negative effect. The LPR also highlighted how if the whole world were to live like an American resident does, using ecosystem services, we would need a total of 4 more Earths to supply this demand showing the vast overconsumption. As the USA is considered one of the worlds most economically developed countries, this statement suggests that economic development and conservation of the natural world are conflicting suggesting it is impossible to reconcile the two.

The Milliennium Ecosystem Assessment was carried out in 2001-2005 and found that changes made to ecosystems have contributed to economic development however at the expense of degradation. They have proposed 4 scenarios for the future of conservation and economic development, scenario 4 “The Technogarden” proposes a most likely eventuality. It suggests the world will become more globally connected and rely strongly on environmentally sound technology and create ecosystems, taking a proactive approach to the management of ecosystems in an effort to avoid further problems. In this scenario technology is continuing to advance and economic growth is high whilst using this technology to create environmentally friendly resources thus enabling conservation and reducing pollution and degradation. The MEA scenario 4 suggests using economic development and technological advancements to conserve biodiversity suggesting not only has biodiversity aided economic development due to its services but in the future economic development will help biodiversity.

Both conservation of biodiversity and economic development are fundamental for the future, often having a conflicting relationship whereby one cannot work with the other in the past perhaps new projects and ideas will alter this once toxic relationship. As many countries begin to excel out of less economically developed country status and move into industrialisation there is concern that further degradation will occur preventing conservation of some of the worlds most precious ecosystems however as suggested by the MEA perhaps once this process of economic development has settled, attention can be turned to preserve and conserve biodiversity using the technology and funds from economic development. Biodiversity offers services used in economic development, whilst economic development can offer the funds to conervse biodiversity suggesting a mutual relationship and suggesting reconciliation is both possible and projected.