Wealthy Nations’ Conservation and Consumption Practices Threaten Global Biodiversity

Research reveals that high-income countries' trade and rewilding efforts are displacing environmental harm to biodiverse regions, exacerbating species loss globally.

A study found that 24 high-income nations are responsible for 13% of global forest habitat loss outside their borders, disproportionately impacting tropical biodiversity hotspots.
Consumption-driven deforestation for imports like beef, palm oil, and timber is linked to habitat destruction affecting 7,600 forest-dependent species, including critically endangered ones.
Conservation efforts in wealthy countries, such as rewilding farmland, can inadvertently shift food and timber production to poorer, biodiverse nations, causing greater ecological harm.
The concept of 'biodiversity leakage,' where conservation in one area displaces environmental damage to another, is largely unaddressed in global policies like the UN's Global Biodiversity Framework.
Experts emphasize the need for targeted conservation, sustainable trade practices, and reduced demand for high-impact commodities to mitigate global biodiversity loss.