Biodiversity can be seen as an exemplary issue for sustainability communication. In addition the conflictual relationship between conservation and sustainable use will be illustrated using selected examples. From the perspective of successful sustainability communication, this chapter will show not only the complexity of cause and effect but also the options there are to conserve biological diversity. Special importance is attributed to the systematic relationship between biological and cultural diversity, since this is given a key role in the formulation of recommendations for developing sustainability communication.

Sustainability communication is a relatively new concept. Its roots can be found in a number of different discourses, such as environmental, risk and science communication. On the one hand these discourses show a number of similarities, for example a similar thematic focus and the central role of the media. There are however clear differences concerning their theoretical foundations, political reach and respective actors. This contribution argues that sustainability communication should be seen as an integrative approach uniting the core elements of a number of different communication perspectives.