Addressing the interactions between biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation in impact assessment

This chapter starts by presenting a conceptual framework to guide thinking about the interactions between different components or attributes of biodiversity and different dimensions of poverty. The framework recognises that both biodiversity and poverty are complex, multi-dimensional concepts and, furthermore, that the interactions between the two are mediated by a wide range of factors. In particular, cross-cutting determinants such as governance, policies on poverty and biodiversity protection, and population growth and density which are associated with the socio-economic context and are critical in determining whether or not biodiversity leads to actual poverty reduction. The chapter then continues by reviewing the existing evidence base on biodiversity-poverty linkages, drawing on a systematic mapping of the published and grey literature (Section 15.3). The findings of the review are used in Section 15.4 to formulate key distinctions that help to understand whether and how biodiversity helps in alleviating poverty, and in Section 15.5 to discuss their implications for impact assessment practice.