Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation? Alessandra Giuliani, IIED Kigali, 4 November 2015

1. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Author name
Date
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Alessandra Giuliani, IIED
Kigali, 4 November 2015
Adapted from previous presentations by Dilys Roe, IIED and
Chris Sandbrook, Cambridge University.
Why link biodiversity
conservation and
poverty alleviation?

2. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Biodiversity conservation and
poverty alleviation: two seemingly
distinct objectives
?

3. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
• 1971 Man and Biosphere programme launched
…. and more recently:
• 2000: World Conservation Congress – recommendation that “IUCN
address poverty simultaneously with environmental rehabilitation”;
• 2002: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) target: ‘achieve by
2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss as a
contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth.’
• 2003: World Parks Congress - “Protected areas should strive to
contribute to poverty reduction at the local level, and at the very
minimum must not contribute to or exacerbate poverty” (Rec WPC
V.29)
• 2010: CBD Cop10 Strategic plan to halt the loss of biodiversity…. thereby
‘contributing to human well-being, and poverty eradication.’
Poverty has long featured in
biodiversity policies:

4. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
• 2000: MDGs
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Target 7.B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a
significant reduction in the rate of loss
• 2015: SDGs:
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification,
and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Likewise biodiversity conservation
has long featured in development
polices:

5. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
But disputes remain at the
practical and local level
• Poverty and conservation are separate policy realms
 Poverty and conservation may be linked but not on my agenda
• Poverty and conservation are positively linked (win-win):
 Poverty is a critical constraint to conservation so improving poverty will improve
conservation
 Conserving biodiversity helps reduce poverty
• Poverty and conservation are negatively linked (win–lose):
 Conservation interventions such as PAs cause or exacerbate poverty
 Poverty reduction strategies such as road building drive biodiversity loss
• Poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation are
linked - but there is no generic model

6. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
A context specific
relationship
• Different patterns of winners and losers
Eg. The costs and risks associated with biodiversity loss are expected
to increase and to fall disproportionately on the poor
• Different outcomes over different time periods
Eg. Some short term improvements in material welfare due to actions
that lead to the loss of biodiversity that is important to the poor may
make these gains temporary and may in fact exacerbate all
constituents of poverty in the long term

7. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
• Biodiversity: “the variability among living organisms from all
sources…and the ecological complexes of which they are
part: this includes diversity within species, between species
and of ecosystems” (CBD)
• But commonly used interchangeably with “wildlife” or
“nature” and used to refer to abundance rather than
variability.
Different understandings of
“biodiversity” “poverty” and
“poverty reduction”

8. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Different understandings of
“biodiversity” “poverty” and
“poverty reduction”
• Absolute poverty - subsistence below minimal living
conditions (eg. living on <$1/day (MDG1))
• Multidimensional poverty: a pronounced deprivation in well
being…. To be poor is to be hungry, to lack shelter and
clothing, to be sick and not cared for, to be illiterate and not
schooled. But for poor people, living in poverty is more than
this. Poor people are particularly vulnerable to adverse
events outside their control. They are often treated badly by
the institutions of state and society and excluded from voice
and power in these institutions’ (World Development Report,
2000)

9. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Different understandings of
“biodiversity” “poverty” and
“poverty reduction”
Poverty reduction or alleviation? Or just improving livelihoods?
• “Poverty reduction” - Reducing the number of poor people, lifting people
beyond a defined poverty line
• “Poverty alleviation” - Alleviating the symptoms of poverty and/or reducing the
severity of poverty without transforming people from ‘poor’ to ‘non-poor’;
• Livelihood improvements – beneficiaries not necessarily limited to those who
are “poor”.
Hard to define? Even harder to measure and draw conclusions! Agrawal and
Redford (1996)

10. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
• Great ape range states coincide with
some of the poorest countries in the
world - particularly in Africa
• Apes attract a lot of international attention
and therefore constitute a valuable
resource
• But benefits are often not shared at a
level sufficient to generate conservation
incentive
• Conservation often through strictly
enforced protected areas – (potential)
cost to local communities
• Missed opportunity for poverty reduction
a risk of threat to conservation
Why link ape conservation
and poverty alleviation?
Photo © C. Sholler

11. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
“Linking conservation and poverty alleviation:
The case of Great Apes. An overview of current
policy and practice in Africa”
A review undertaken by Chris Sandbrook
for IIED in 2010 of linkages between great ape
conservation and poverty reduction in Africa.
African great apes and
poverty alleviation

12. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Large number of organisations addressing ape
conservation in Africa:
• 8 multi-country organisations/initiatives that are
ape specific
• 15 multi-country organisations/initiatives that
include apes amongst other conservation
concerns
• Anything between 2 and 20
organisations/initiatives in each ape range state
African ape conservation
organisations

13. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Many different approaches taken by different organisations at different sites:
• From changing the behaviour/attitudes of communities towards
conservation (education, outreach) to changing the practice of
conservation (CBNRM, community conserved areas)
• From finding alternatives to resources of conservation concern (alternative
protein/energy sources) to generating benefits from resources of concern
(tourism, PES)
• From enforcing conservation priorities to paying for them
Approaches to linking
conservation and poverty at
ape sites

14. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
 Tourism jobs
 CBNRM, community conservation
 ICDPs
 Human health and family planning
 Bushmeat alternatives
 Firewood alternatives/fuel efficient stoves
 Protected area outreach/revenue sharing
 Addressing human wildlife conflict
 PES
 Skills/capacity development
 Value chains/market access
Examples of approaches used to link
conservation and poverty at ape
sites:

15. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015
Experiences from the
organisations working in Rwanda
One of the goals of this meeting: To provide a space for Rwanda based conservation
and development organisations to share their experiences in linking conservation
(and particularly great apes conservation) and poverty alleviation. Emphasis will be
placed on reflecting on what has worked, what hasn’t and why.
• Overview of the approach your organisation uses to link conservation and
poverty alleviation/livelihood improvements in Rwanda
• Outcomes – positive and negative – of using this approach
• Supporting and limiting factors that resulted in the positive or negative outcomes
• Key lessons learned from using this approach

16. Why link biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation?
Alessandra Giuliani
Kigali, Rwanda
4 November 2015“Rwanda is a country with limited natural resources
but infinite human resources. As a government, we
recognise that poverty reduction and environmental
protection are inseparable and we put our people at
the centre of our development agenda. This approach
has ensured that sustainability sits at the heart of our
development agenda.”
Dr. Vincent Biruta, Minister of Natural Resources
October 2015
(Meeting of the PEI Africa team and the UN Development Programme-
UN Environment Programme (UNDP-UNEP) Poverty-Environment
Facility held last week in Kigali )