Description

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Context

Restoration and rewilding programs in agricultural landscapes in some nations can incentivise production expansion in other countries, thus driving biodiversity loss in latter and causing a ‘net harm’, a new study has highlighted.

Highlights of the Study

Biodiversity Leak

The concept of biodiversity leak describes a situation where conservation and restoration programs in one country unintentionally incentivize the expansion of production in other regions which are often more biodiverse.

This results in a net environmental harm as the environmental benefits of restoration are offset by the increased damage elsewhere.

Restoration and Rewilding Programs

Restoration and rewilding programs aim to convert agricultural or degraded land back into natural habitats.

However when these initiatives are implemented in one country they can lead to the expansion of production in more biodiverse countries exacerbating biodiversity loss and creating a net harm.

Global Biodiversity Targets

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for protecting 30% of global land and marine areas by 2030.

Similarly European Green Deal through EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to reverse ecosystem degradation while protecting at least 30% of the land and sea areas by the end of the decade.

These targets encourage large-scale conservation efforts worldwide.

Biodiversity Leak and Wealthier Nations

While conservation efforts in wealthier nations may reduce food or fiber production by preventing habitat conversion or reducing production intensity this may lead to the displacement of agricultural activities to more biodiverse regions.

This shift contributes to biodiversity leak where the environmental benefits of local conservation are undermined by increased agricultural production in biodiverse areas.

Market Leakage and Its Impact on Biodiversity

When conservation reduces production in one region global demand for those goods does not disappear.

As a result production activities shift elsewhere, often to countries with less biodiversity

This causes market leakage where environmental benefits of local conservation are negated by increased agricultural activity in biodiverse regions.

Unrecognized Impact of Biodiversity Leakage

Despite its potential for environmental damage biodiversity leakage remains largely overlooked.

Many conservation policies and projects tend to focus on local or national outcomes without considering broader consequences.

For example survey of 100 managers overseeing tropical conservation projects found that many were unaware of biodiversity leakage or had not taken steps to mitigate its effects.

Global Biodiversity Goals and Leakage

Biodiversity leakage is often absent from global biodiversity goals and targets.

For instance Japan pesticide free Green Food System and the EU Biodiversity and Forestry Strategies fail to address how market leakage from reduced production in one region might harm biodiversity elsewhere.

Case Studies

The restoration of 1,000 km² of farmland currently growing wheat, rapeseed and barley would reduce production.

If local demand for these crops remains the same UK would likely increase imports from more biodiverse countries.

This could result in net biodiversity loss as benefits of habitat restoration in the UK would be overshadowed by production shifts elsewhere.

Brazil

In Brazil, restoring 1,000 km² of land currently used for soy production would increase local biodiversity but could reduce soy exports.

This reduction in exports could drive up production in other soy-exporting countries many of which have less biodiversity leading to market leakage and further biodiversity loss.

Mitigating Biodiversity Leakage

Tracking Production Changes: Monitor changes in food or wood production within intervention areas as part of routine monitoring.

Distinguishing Effective Projects: Scrutinize projects claiming minimal losses in production to ensure they help in reducing leakage.

Incorporating Leakage in Policies: National and international conservation policies should explicitly address both local & long range leakage.

Reducing Demand and Improving Efficiency: Reduce demand for goods that contribute to high leakage and improve efficiency in production to offset losses.

Targeting Conservation Areas: Focus conservation efforts in areas where biodiversity restoration will cause minimal displacement of production.

Increasing Yields: In areas near conservation projects efforts to increase yields can help offset production losses and reduce the impact of biodiversity leakage.

Theoretical Concepts related to Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Concept	Description
Ecological Footprint	A measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems, representing the amount of natural resources used by a population.
Carrying Capacity	The maximum number of individuals or activities that an environment can sustainably support without degrading.
Environmental Kuznets Curve	A hypothesis that suggests that as an economy develops, environmental degradation first increases and then decreases.
Planetary Boundaries	A framework that defines the safe operating space for humanity, taking into account various environmental limits, like biodiversity loss, climate change, and land use.
Sustainability Science	An interdisciplinary field of research focused on understanding and addressing the complex interactions between social, economic, and environmental systems.
Greenwashing	The practice of companies or governments misleadingly portraying their products, policies, or activities as environmentally friendly.
Adaptive Management	A systematic approach for improving resource management by learning from management outcomes and adjusting strategies accordingly.
Ecological Resilience	The ability of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances and return to its original state.
Environmental Justice	The fair treatment and involvement of all people, regardless of their race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Biocentric Ethics	A philosophy that values all living organisms and their ecosystems, regardless of their utility to human beings.
Ecotourism	Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, respects local cultures, and promotes economic development.
Trophic Cascade	A process by which predators control the structure and population dynamics of ecosystems by influencing the behavior or population size of their prey.
Carbon Sequestration	The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is part of natural processes like photosynthesis.
Polluter Pays Principle	A principle where those who cause environmental damage are held financially responsible for the costs of its prevention or repair.
Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)	Strategies that use natural processes and ecosystems to address societal challenges like climate change, water security, and disaster resilience.
Climate-Induced Migration	Movement of people due to changes in climate conditions, such as droughts or sea-level rise, that affect livelihoods.

Sources:

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PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements regarding biodiversity leakage:

Biodiversity leakage occurs when conservation efforts in one region result in an increase in production activities in other regions which are often less biodiverse.
Biodiversity leakage has no impact if the displaced production is in countries with similar biodiversity levels.
The concept of biodiversity leakage is primarily concerned with the economic and social displacement caused by conservation policies.
Restoration efforts in agricultural landscapes may exacerbate biodiversity loss in other regions if production activities are displaced to more biodiverse areas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 4 only
d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Answer: c) 1 and 4 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct. Biodiversity leakage refers to the unintended consequence where conservation in one area leads to higher production in other often more biodiverse regions exacerbating environmental harm in those regions.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Biodiversity leakage typically leads to increased production in less biodiverse regions causing greater environmental damage. If production is displaced to areas with similar biodiversity impact would still be significant but would not typically lead to the same level of ecological harm as when it is displaced to more biodiverse areas.

Statement 3 is incorrect. While there is an economic aspect to biodiversity leakage primary concern is the ecological consequence of shifting production to more biodiverse regions not just the social and economic displacement.

Statement 4 is correct. If conservation or restoration efforts in one region lead to production being displaced to more biodiverse areas (with lower agricultural yields) it can result in greater biodiversity loss elsewhere causing a net harm.