Biodiversitybased

Biodiversitybased refers to approaches, strategies, and products that rely on biological diversity as a primary resource or principle for development, conservation, and research. It encompasses efforts to protect, manage, and sustainably use ecosystem diversity to support environmental, social, and economic goals.

In conservation planning, biodiversitybased methods prioritize protection of habitats and species that sustain ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and climate regulation. In agriculture and food systems, it can involve agroecology, crop diversification, and the use of native varieties to improve resilience and reduce dependency on external inputs. In medicine and biotechnological research, biodiversitybased approaches seek to discover and develop new products from plants, fungi, bacteria, and marine organisms while emphasizing sustainable sourcing.

Biodiversitybased initiatives are commonly framed by international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and instruments on access and benefit-sharing. Governance structures often stress transparency, community rights, and fair compensation, along with certification schemes that aim to verify sustainable practices and ethical sourcing.

Advocates argue that biodiversitybased strategies can create sustainable livelihoods, promote eco-tourism, and encourage value chains that reflect ecological costs. Critics warn of risks such as overexploitation, biopiracy, and inequitable benefit distribution if governance is weak or poorly implemented.

Key challenges include measuring biodiversity outcomes, aligning conservation with development objectives, and integrating biodiversitybased approaches into broader policy, finance, and planning processes.