Session 3
SUBJECT: Biodiversity conservation: the key indicator of sustainability
AUTHOR: Martin Sharman
DATE: 14th April 2003

KEYWORDS: Sustainability, biodiversity loss as an indicator.

ABSTRACT: The Meadows, Meadows and Randers (MMR) decline and fall is looming on the horizon. If we achieve the Goteborg target we may save our civilization.

In previous contributions I have stressed the normative values of biodiversity. I would now like to change tack and look at its ultimate utilitarian value - the role of biodiversity in the survival of our species, or at least of our planetary civilization.

In their book "Beyond The Limits", Donella and Dennis Meadows and Jørgen Randers claim that the current rate of human use of many essential resources cannot be sustained. They foresee in the next decades an catastrophic collapse of per capita food output, energy use, and industrial production unless we quickly take action to reduce our consumption of material and energy and to stabilise human population size. By "quickly" they mean "with utmost urgency".

Rates of biodiversity loss are an excellent index of sustainability. If we are losing biodiversity, our demands on the natural system are unsustainable. It is as simple as that. Conversely, if in the next 6 or 7 years ("2010" sounds futuristic) we can reduce global biodiversity loss - and halt its loss in Europe - we may avoid the "MMR catastrophe".

And this means that the question of our final week, "how can we integrate our knowledge into new technologies, innovative plans for local development and biodiversity conservation?" may be the vital question for the survival of our civilization to the end of this century.

We know that to stop biodiversity loss we must address the root causes of loss; we must change many human values, attitudes and behaviours that tend to reduce biodiversity and hence are not sustainable at present population levels. We often talk of poverty as a root cause, but growth in a limited system is probably more dangerous. The "knowledge" that this week's question refers to is not just scientific knowledge about biodiversity. Is it possible to use the collective knowledge of our world civilization to cause our society, our politicians and our multi-national corporations to embrace sustainability, rather than growth, as a goal? If not, then what?

A contribution by:

Martin Sharman
European Commission
Research DG DI-4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Rue Luxembourg 46
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium