Biodiversity

As noted in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), biodiversity "…is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend." In the context of "Global Environmental Change and Human Development", biodiversity needs to be seen as a "state" and "resource". The former refers to the entire extent of biodiversity in a given section of nature, and has the potential to provide the basic conditions for and drive the processes that ensure human survival. The latter refers to the use of its functions and components as consumables in ecological and social processes. Using and protecting biodiversity should go hand-in-hand in sustainable development. Economic as well as political and societal developments are required to reduce the dependency and pressure on biodiversity, but often this can only be achieved by the sustainable use of biodiversity, be it through the judicious exploitation of its resources (e.g. logging), the use of its functions (e.g. water and soil retention), or the protection of its state (e.g. wildlife and nature protection). The institutions we establish to organize interactions between social and ecological systems are the human web of life.

Values of biodiversity

The economic values of biodiversity focus on direct, indirect and even non-use values, in the sense that present use is "saved" for the benefit of future generations. As such its value is defined by the willingness of people to pay for its immediate use or to refrain from using it. From an ecological viewpoint, however, the values of biodiversity also consider the fact that we do not know in how far biodiversity is a non-negotiable "need", regardless of how much we are willing to give for it in exchange. On the other hand, ecosystems comprise a diverse web of seemingly unnecessary or redundant species that provide it with stability and resilience, which has a value in its own right. Research at ZEF aims to better understand the composition and functioning of ecosystems and to define their negotiable and non-negotiable components.

From knowledge to practice

ZEF is searching for innovative approaches to implement its research findings in practice. A passable way might be the establishment of researcher-driven NGOs on the ground, which bridge the gap between the scientific community and local stakeholders, integrate newly generated knowledge into existing biodiversity conservation and management concepts and, all in all, make research sustainable.