Ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation: local demands and political guidelines

Biodiversity, i.e. the variety of all living beings, is a fundamental component of sustainable natural capital. It sustains and enables all the ecosystem goods and/or services which humanity needs and should value. At the same time biodiversity has irreplaceable value for our society. There is no doubt that there are important discrepancies between local demands and political guidelines with respect to the need to conserve biodiversity given its role in the well-being of society as established by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda. For this reason, it is essential to apply a common strategy capable of maintaining, improving and increasing current biodiversity. Under those circumstances, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), independent intergovernmental body, carries out periodic assessments about biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as their interrelationships. The scope is to assess the status and trends with respect to biodiversity and ecosystem services, the impact on human well-being and the effectiveness of the actions and plans performed. The state of ecosystem services is worrying in many regions and many essential services are expected to deteriorate and even be lost during the current century. Some recent research has related the results, effectiveness of actions and plans, to political needs, although its real influence is still very limited. Perhaps a strategy at a territorial level could facilitate cooperation between those countries with similar needs and problems, through the exchange of information and the common development of capabilities. This would guarantee the adoption of sustainable policies aimed at increasing the population's well-being.