Conservation can emphasize human well-being to navigate its current funding crisis (commentary) – Mongabay

Report on the Crisis in Conservation and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The global conservation sector is currently facing a significant crisis characterized by funding reductions, diminished governmental support, and the spread of disinformation. A primary driver of this crisis is the failure to recognize nature’s foundational role in achieving key human development outcomes. This report reframes conservation not as a standalone environmental issue, but as a cornerstone for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Intersection of Conservation and Global Development Frameworks

Ecological decline poses a direct threat to human progress and sustainable futures. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 global risks report identifies multiple environmental threats among its top long-term risks, including biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. These risks directly undermine progress toward numerous SDGs.

• Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Collapse: Threatens SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), while also impacting SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through loss of livelihoods and food sources.
• Extreme Weather Events: Directly impacts SDG 13 (Climate Action) and jeopardizes progress on nearly all other goals by disrupting food systems, infrastructure, and health services.

Despite these interconnections, biodiversity conservation remains critically underfunded relative to its value in supporting global sustainable development.

Case Study: USAID’s Integrated Approach to Conservation and Development

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) historically championed the principle that “conservation is development,” recognizing healthy ecosystems as a foundation for human well-being. In fiscal year 2023, the agency invested over $385 million in biodiversity programs that supported local communities and ecosystems.

USAID’s Health, Ecosystems, and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies (HEARTH) program serves as a model for integrated programming aligned with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). HEARTH combined resources from multiple sectors to support projects that advanced several SDGs simultaneously.

• Food Security (SDG 2): Promoted agroforestry and regenerative agriculture.
• Global Health (SDG 3): Integrated health outcomes with environmental management.
• Biodiversity Conservation (SDG 14, SDG 15): Supported sustainable fisheries and forest management.

The recent dismantling of USAID has created a significant void in conservation financing and leadership, necessitating new strategies from the broader conservation sector to continue this integrated work.

Strategic Recommendations for Aligning Conservation with Sustainable Development Goals

To address the current crisis, the conservation sector can adopt three key strategies to more effectively demonstrate its contribution to the SDGs and human well-being.

1. Systematize Measurement of Human Well-being and SDG Indicators

   Conservation projects must systematically measure their impacts on human well-being using metrics recognized by the global development community. This approach allows for direct comparison with other development interventions and demonstrates value beyond biophysical terms.

   • Adopt Standardized Indicators: Utilize metrics from established frameworks such as the UN SDG indicators, USAID’s HEARTH toolkit, and the Demographic and Health Surveys Program.
   • Integrate Social Metrics: Incorporate social and human well-being outcomes into project planning, as suggested by the Conservation Measures Partnership.
   • Example Application: A sustainable fisheries project (SDG 14) could track changes in fish biomass alongside the minimum dietary diversity indicator, a proxy for micronutrient intake, thereby demonstrating contributions to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

2. Foster Cross-Sectoral Collaboration to Achieve Integrated Goals (SDG 17)

   Breaking down institutional silos between donor organizations is critical for multiplying impact. Program officers in conservation should actively build partnerships with counterparts in other sectors to align goals and resources.

   • Water Security Partnerships: Collaborate with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector to ensure water infrastructure projects (SDG 6) are supported by healthy watershed conservation.
   • Food Security Partnerships: Work with the food security sector to sustainably manage wild fisheries (SDG 14) and forests (SDG 15) to ensure a continued supply of nutrient-rich foods, directly supporting SDG 2.

3. Address Broader Development Needs in Frontline Communities

   Conservation organizations are uniquely positioned to address the development needs of isolated and underserved communities. Integrating services that meet these needs can strengthen conservation outcomes.

   • Health in Harmony Model: A 2020 study found that integrating healthcare access (SDG 3) with conservation efforts successfully averted deforestation (SDG 15).
   • Blue Ventures Model: An analysis of its People-Health-Environment program in Madagascar concluded that a human rights-based approach that removes barriers to community engagement is vital for achieving conservation goals (SDG 14).

Conclusion: Re-framing Conservation as a Cornerstone of Sustainable Development

Implementing these strategies will require new resources and expertise but is essential for broadening conservation’s influence, reach, and financing. By systematically linking conservation actions to tangible improvements in human well-being, the sector can effectively shift the perception of its work from a purely environmental undertaking to a fundamental component of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The article repeatedly connects conservation efforts to food security. It mentions that nature plays a vital role in food security and discusses projects involving sustainable fisheries, agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, and ensuring a supply of nutrient-rich wild foods.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article emphasizes the link between conservation and human health. It highlights USAID’s HEARTH program, which integrated global health with conservation, and cites examples of organizations like Health in Harmony that provide healthcare services to communities as part of their conservation strategy. It also mentions human nutrition as a key outcome.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The connection to water security is explicitly made. The article points out nature’s role in water security and suggests partnering with the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) sector to ensure water infrastructure is supported by “healthy watersheds that provide a dependable supply of water.”
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article identifies climate change adaptation and mitigation as key benefits of conservation. It also lists extreme weather events as a top global risk linked to environmental decline, reinforcing the connection between ecosystem health and climate resilience.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: This goal is directly addressed through discussions on marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management. The article mentions a USAID Oceans project aimed at collecting data on fish catches and the importance of sustainably managing wild fisheries.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This is a central theme of the article. It discusses biodiversity conservation, forest conservation, agroforestry, and the threats of biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. The article cites a study showing how a conservation-health exchange program successfully “averted deforestation.”
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article strongly advocates for this goal by calling for an end to siloed approaches. It promotes cross-sector collaboration between conservation, food security, health, and climate sectors, using USAID’s HEARTH program as a model for partnership and integrated programming.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious food. The article supports this by linking conservation to “food security” and the provision of “nutrient-rich wild foods” from sustainably managed forests and fisheries.
• Target 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems. This is addressed through the promotion of practices like “agroforestry, regenerative agriculture and responsible aquaculture” and “sustainable fisheries management.”
• Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries for early warning, risk reduction, and management of national and global health risks. The article connects to this by highlighting how conservation organizations can address unmet development and health needs in vulnerable communities, such as by training community members to provide healthcare.
• Target 6.6: Protect and restore water-related ecosystems. The article directly aligns with this target by advocating for the protection of “healthy watersheds that provide a dependable supply of water” as a complement to water infrastructure.
• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards. The article identifies “climate change adaptation and mitigation” as a key outcome of conservation efforts, which directly contributes to this target.
• Target 14.4: Effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing. This is addressed through the focus on “sustainable fisheries management” and projects that collect “data on catch” to inform management practices.
• Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation. The article discusses “forest conservation” and cites a study where a conservation program “averted deforestation” and reduced logging.
• Target 15.5: Take urgent action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats and halt the loss of biodiversity. The article’s core argument is about the crisis facing conservation, citing “biodiversity loss” and “ecosystem collapse” as top global risks that need to be addressed.
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article’s call to “break down siloes” and build bridges between conservation, food security, health, and WASH sectors is a direct appeal for the kind of partnerships described in this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Minimum dietary diversity indicator: The article explicitly suggests this as a “commonly used” standard indicator for conservation projects to measure human nutrition. It is described as a “proxy for adequate micronutrient intake” and can be used to track progress towards food security and nutrition targets (SDG 2).
• Fish biomass: This is mentioned as a biophysical metric that a sustainable fisheries project could collect. It serves as a direct indicator for the health of fish stocks and the effectiveness of sustainable management practices (SDG 14).
• Rate of deforestation/logging: The article implies this indicator by citing a 2020 study on Health in Harmony’s program which “averted deforestation” and achieved “reductions in logging.” This directly measures progress in protecting forests (SDG 15).
• Healthcare access: This is mentioned as a key outcome of the Health in Harmony program, which was found to be “increasing healthcare access.” This can be used as an indicator to measure improvements in community well-being and health services (SDG 3).
• Funding for biodiversity programs: The article implies this as a crucial indicator by highlighting the crisis caused by “cuts in funding” and mentioning specific figures like USAID’s investment of “$385 million in biodiversity programs in fiscal year 2023.” Tracking this funding is essential for measuring commitment to conservation goals (SDG 15, 17).

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: news.mongabay.com