Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/conl.12713
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Biodiversity policy beyond economic growth
Author Otero, I.; Farrell, K.N.; Pueyo, S.; Kallis, G.; Kehoe, L.; Haberl, H.; Plutzar, C.; Hobson, P.; García-Márquez, J.; Rodríguez-Labajos, B.; Martin, J.-L.; Erb, K.-H.; Schindler, S.; Nielsen, J.; Skorin, T.; Settele, J.; Essl, F.; Gómez-Baggethun, E.; Brotons, L.; Rabitsch, W.; Schneider, F.; Pe'er, G.
Source Titel Conservation Letters
Year 2020
Department BZF; NSF; iDiv; ESS
Volume 13
Issue 4
Page From e12713
Language englisch
Supplements https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1111%2Fconl.12713&file=conl12713-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx
Keywords biodiversity conservation; biodiversity loss; biodiversity policy; biodiversity scenarios; decoupling; degrowth; economic growth; postgrowth; sustainability policy; transition
Abstract Increasing evidence—synthesized in this paper—shows that economic growth contributes to biodiversity loss via greater resource consumption and higher emissions. Nonetheless, a review of international biodiversity and sustainability policies shows that the majority advocate economic growth. Since improvements in resource use efficiency have so far not allowed for absolute global reductions in resource use and pollution, we question the support for economic growth in these policies, where inadequate attention is paid to the question of how growth can be decoupled from biodiversity loss. Drawing on the literature about alternatives to economic growth, we explore this contradiction and suggest ways forward to halt global biodiversity decline. These include policy proposals to move beyond the growth paradigm while enhancing overall prosperity, which can be implemented by combining top‐down and bottom‐up governance across scales. Finally, we call the attention of researchers and policy makers to two immediate steps: acknowledge the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation in future policies; and explore socioeconomic trajectories beyond economic growth in the next generation of biodiversity scenarios.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=23004
Otero, I., Farrell, K.N., Pueyo, S., Kallis, G., Kehoe, L., Haberl, H., Plutzar, C., Hobson, P., García-Márquez, J., Rodríguez-Labajos, B., Martin, J.-L., Erb, K.-H., Schindler, S., Nielsen, J., Skorin, T., Settele, J., Essl, F., Gómez-Baggethun, E., Brotons, L., Rabitsch, W., Schneider, F., Pe'er, G. (2020):
Biodiversity policy beyond economic growth
Conserv. Lett. 13 (4), e12713 10.1111/conl.12713