Biodiversity is commonly assumed to be important for the livelihoods of poor people and thereby contribute to poverty alleviation – e.g. wild foods are consumed and sold, genetically diverse crops increase harvest and reduce the risk of harvest failure and charismatic species attract eco-tourists providing income to rural communities. However, we know surprisingly little about the scientific evidence demonstrating biodiversity-poverty linkages.

The IIED and UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Poverty Partnership has recently embarked on a project to systematically map the existing evidence. This will enable us to identify gaps in the evidence, assess which components of biodiversity and expressions of poverty have been researched. It will also promote the mainstreaming of poverty issues into second generation National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) by providing national experts with a detailed overview of available information.

This project is funded by the Ecosystem Service and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Evidence and Impact Research Grants scheme, with additional funding provided by UK aid from the UK Government.