Banking on biodiversity : a natural way out of poverty

As a policy research organisation, the International Institute for Environment and Development has evolved key concepts, theories and ways of working in sustainable development since 1973. The big idea we explore here is banking on biodiversity. This approach rests on the fact that much rural poverty is concentrated in the world’s biodiversity hotspots. By supporting these communities’ long-term stewardship of land and sea, we can tackle two urgent global issues — extreme poverty and biodiversity loss — together.