Unifying Human Well-being and Ecosystem Health
Future Directions for Civil Society
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v9i1.1892Keywords:
Biodiversity Conservation, Human well-being, Ecological Health, Theory of ChangeAbstract
Conservation has long been characterized by the dichotomy between those who believe its goal is the preservation of pristine wildernesses and those who argue that human welfare is central to its success. For most of the twentieth century, conservation was dominated by an exclusionary approach, with an emphasis on protected areas and charismatic species. Even as rights-based approaches and community-based conservation have gained ground in the last two decades, environmental organizations remain unsure about how and why they should engage with social issues. We provide here an overarching framework that links actions aimed at human well-being with ecological and environmental resilience and health. The framework posits four pathways—ethical, organic, pragmatic, and environmental—through which socio-economic interventions can be linked with both community and ecosystem health. This framework can help environmental NGOs design their programmes to better integrate social and ecological issues in these complex, interconnected systems.
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