Natural resources

Human wellbeing depends on the capacity of the earth’s natural systems to provide ecosystem goods and services. However, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment chillingly concludes that unless we take action to mitigate the current decline in ecosystem services, the cost to society will be substantial. In this publication, IUCN defines three key challenges that will need to be addressed in the near future in order to deliver internationally-agreed development goals.

Despite endorsements of the concept of sustainable development and the linking of sustainable development with the Millennium Development Goals, progress towards the eradication of poverty has been disappointing. The underlying principles of sustainable development need to be more critically and actively applied to both poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation.