October 2010: Launched as Technical Series No. 55, a report from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) titled “Linking Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Alleviation: A State of Knowledge Review” contains reviews presented to the symposium “Linking Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction: What, Why and How?” held in April 2010, in London, UK.

The symposium was organized by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the African Wildlife Foundation. It was hosted by the Zoological Society of London and took place from 28-29 April 2010.

Two “state of knowledge” reviews were commissioned to explore the evidence base for two common assumptions about the link between biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction: first, that the poor depend on biodiversity; and second, that biodiversity conservation can be a mechanism for poverty reduction. Conclusions include that: the poor depend disproportionately on biodiversity for their subsistence needs, both in terms of income and insurance against risk; and biodiversity conservation can be a route out of poverty under some circumstances. Recognition of the link between the status of biodiversity and the fate of poor people implies that biodiversity should be a priority in international efforts to address poverty reduction. However, the reviews conclude, the accessible nature of biodiversity that makes it so important to poor people—the fact that ecosystem services and biodiversity resources are public goods—ironically also means that it is under-valued, if valued at all, in national economies. [The Publication]