Human development today implies the loss of biodiversity; changing this reality requires a new model, says the UNDP

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the world reached a record high in global human development in 2024. However, lifting millions of people out of poverty, boosting the global economy, and providing products and services to the planet in an interconnected global model has also led to the loss of biodiversity, one of the main drivers of the triple climate crisis.

Therefore, according to experts, a new model of human development based on nature is needed, one that understands that although humans are going through a historical epoch known as the Anthropocene, in which we are now the species that dominates and largely uses the planet's resources, this use must be done in a sustainable manner so as not to put pressure on the Earth, as we are doing today by cutting down forests, polluting rivers and emitting greenhouse gases, to name but a few of the impacts.

This was one of the conclusions of the session "Biodiversity and Human Development", the fifth of the Biodiversity Connection Forums, a group of fourteen conferences to talk about biodiversity on the way to COP16, organized by the National Environmental Forum and the Ministry of Environment, together with other actors such as EL TIEMPO, WWF Colombia, the Mayor's Office of Cali, the Swedish Embassy in Colombia, UNEP and Noticias Caracol.

According to Tapia, although the world is largely aware of what needs to be done, actions are not being taken, which favors the continuation of the current model and allows that in order to lift thousands out of poverty, forests must be cut down or polluting waste must be disposed of directly into water ecosystems.

"The balances and imbalances we see on the planet are closely linked to the balances and imbalances we see in our societies. There can be vicious circles where there are environmental shocks that exacerbate inequalities, and because of the dynamics of our societies, this translates into greater planetary pressures that increase risks. Part of the challenge is how to turn this vicious cycle into a virtuous one, and empowering people is key to that," the expert emphasized.

(Read also: ‘Colombia habrá hecho lo suficiente cuando logre detener la deforestación’: Unión Europea)

According to the researcher, what is needed is a greater "capacity for agency," meaning that people must be empowered and begin to make or demand the changes necessary for the world to begin to shift to a different model. "Despite the fact that in many cases we seem to know what we need to do, things do not happen and changes do not happen," Tapia said.

An example of this is what is happening today in the developed world, where although throughout the modern era much of the growth and social welfare of its inhabitants has been directly linked to the impact of ecosystems, the UNDP Human Development Index found that in the last 10 years the countries with the highest index (which are also the richest) have improved their human development without increasing pressure on the planet. According to the organization, this decoupling represents a significant change from previous years, when the two increased together.

In this sense, according to Tapia, one of the problems is the approach we have to the challenges we face: for example, he said, there are studies that show that conservation actions within indigenous communities have a greater impact on the restoration and protection of nature compared to those carried out in other territories. In other words, the solutions are there, we just have to use the right ones.

For this reason, the researcher stressed that it is essential to understand that improving human development on the planet requires justice, care for nature and innovation, three essential factors that must work together. In addition, it is necessary to promote the affirmation that "people do not have to be the problem," despite the impacts we are currently generating.

(Read also: ‘Las próximas pandemias estarán influidas por el cambio climático y generarán riesgos aún mayores que los del covid’: Fundación Rockefeller)

Jimena Puyana Eraso, Manager of Environment and Sustainable Development at UNDP Colombia, pointed out that there is clear evidence that there is a dichotomy between development and conservation, and that in the case of Colombia, the National Human Development Report. Colombia: territories between fractures and opportunities shows that there are three types of territories in the country that reflect this reality.

The first type is that of areas with a high level of ecological integrity - measured by the percentage of natural ecosystems as opposed to transformed ecosystems - but which nevertheless have a low level of human development, mainly those located in the Amazon, Orinoco and Pacific regions. The second type are those with a moderate human development index but medium or low ecological integrity, where important areas such as peat bogs and high mountain ecosystems, which are key to water supply, are located. Finally, there are areas with low human development and low ecological integrity, where there are areas such as dry ecosystems, mostly located in Caribbean departments such as La Guajira.  

(Read also: ‘Pérdida de biodiversidad, degradación de los ecosistemas y escasez de alimentos, temas claves a discutir en la COP16’: Gonzalo Andrade, director del ICN)

Meanwhile, Mónica Andrade, Environment and Energy Coordinator at UNDP Ecuador, emphasized that "we are in a phase where we have destabilized the systems we need for our own livelihoods at an unprecedented speed and scale. For her, the big challenge is to create an integral and multidimensional approach to what development means, not just economic growth.

A clear example of this, according to Andrade, is the case of Ecuador, where social impacts today arise from environmental imbalances, i.e. the areas affected by natural disasters are the areas where economic development is seen, but in areas where there is better conservation, they face another reality: at the cost of not destroying nature, there are few opportunities for development.

"Ecuador is a megadiverse country, so we can imagine its richness, which puts the country in a privileged position in of biological, ecological and cultural diversity, which are fundamental points to achieve the desired sustainable development. But its geographical location also makes it vulnerable to climate change. And this is where the challenges begin: how do we achieve sustainable human development in a country where there are many environmental imbalances? (...) "According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census, one in four Ecuadorians lives below the poverty line, with a monthly income of less than US$87. At least one in ten Ecuadorians live on less than US$49 a month, putting them on the verge of extreme poverty. Six provinces have more than 25% of their population living in extreme poverty, five in the Amazon and one on the coast, in the areas with the greatest natural wealth and biodiversity in the country. Here we see the incoherence of a country that is rich in biodiversity, in its natural wealth, but with many social challenges," said Andrade.

EDWIN CAICEDO

Environment and health journalist 

@CaicedoUcros