A major report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights the severe risks posed by fragmented governance across biodiversity, climate change, food, water, and health. The ‘nexus assessment’ warns that addressing these issues in isolation exacerbates their interconnected challenges, undermining both planetary and human well-being.
The report stresses that biodiversity is vital for food and water security, public health, and climate stability. However, biodiversity has declined significantly over the last half-century due to human activity, including unsustainable land use, pollution, and climate change. This loss compounds other crises, with the absence of cohesive policies leading to unintended trade-offs. For instance, unsustainable agricultural practices aimed at food security often harm biodiversity and water resources while driving climate change.
Professor Pam McElwee, co-chair of the report, emphasised the need for integrated approaches, stating, “These are interlinked crises… Treating them as single-issue problems wastes resources and worsens outcomes.”
Co-chair Professor Paula Harrison added that fragmented governance, with departments operating in silos, fails to address these interdependencies, causing policies to contradict or duplicate one another.
The report identifies actionable solutions, including transitioning to sustainable diets, reducing food waste, and investing in ecosystem restoration. These measures, it says, can simultaneously combat biodiversity loss and climate change while improving health and food security. Protecting ecosystems such as forests, peatlands, and marine areas could yield significant co-benefits, but achieving these goals requires cohesive, globally aligned strategies.
Financial reforms are also critical. The report notes that funding for activities harming nature vastly outpaces investments in its preservation. It calls for regulatory changes to incentivize biodiversity-friendly practices and redirect resources towards sustainable development.
IPBES aims to bridge the gap between science and policy, offering evidence-based solutions to protect biodiversity while achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement targets.
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Photo of Nyingchi, Tibet, China by Chenhsi Duan on Unsplash