The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) chart the course for a resilient planet where poverty and hunger are things of the past, all children have access to education and life thrives on land and in the ocean.

There are several SDGs which specifically refer to the conservation and sustainable use of the natural world, on land and at sea. However, in reality our dependencies on nature underpin all the goals to various degrees, and will be fundamental to their achievement.

As we mark the International Day of Biological Diversity 2025, we take the opportunity to reflect on the beauty and wonder of nature. But we also recognize the need to reconsider the way we frame nature and biodiversity in our economies, our societies and our decisions.

A nested view of sustainable development

There are three widely recognized strands to sustainable development: society, the economy and the environment. These are still often viewed as linked but distinct elements, like points on a triangle. However, there is growing momentum for a different approach, which sees society and the economy ‘nested’ or embedded within their environment, and wholly reliant upon it.

People depend upon biodiversity for their health and well-being – from life-giving food and regulation of water supplies, to the quality of the air we breathe and the productivity of the soil we use. We derive essential medicines and fuel from plants, and rely on the land and seas for income: for example, 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods. And that’s not to mention the myriad cultural, spiritual and health benefits that we gain from being in and around nature.

Our economy depends upon biodiversity to function. Over 50 per cent of global GDP is generated by sectors that are moderately to highly dependent on nature, including agriculture, timber and fisheries. In reality, of course, no sector could function without the sustained supply of natural resources that underpin our wider economy. However, there is a stark disparity between what we gain from nature and what we give back to it. Expenditures aimed at improving the status of biodiversity are estimated at USD 200 billion per year, significantly less than one per cent of global GDP. Meanwhile, estimates suggest that at least 35 times this amount (approximately USD 7 trillion) is invested each year in sectors and activities that are directly damaging to nature.

Linking the SDGs with biodiversity targets

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) sets out an ambitious and comprehensive roadmap for sustaining the natural world and the benefits it provides to people. The goals and targets of the KMGBF have many links to the SDGs, and it is vital that these two mutually dependent ambitions are pursued in tandem.

Take for example SDG 2: ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. Various KMGBF targets relate directly to this ambition – from enhancing sustainability in agriculture and fisheries, to protecting the genetic diversity of seeds, plants and animals.

Countries have agreed to develop National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) in order to outline and deliver on their commitments to addressing biodiversity loss, and sustaining and sharing the benefits from biodiversity in alignment with the KMGBF. The scope of NBSAPs will need to be integrated into broader national sustainable development strategies to ensure cohesion and maximize impact.

Moving away from business as usual

It’s clear that achieving any of the SDGs and goals of the KMGBF will not be possible without transformational change. Business as usual is not working and is not sustainable: according to the 2024 progress report on the SDGs, only 17 per cent of the targets are on track, with nearly half showing minimal to moderate progress. Similarly, there is much ground to be made up if we are to meet the targets of the KMGBF, such as the ambition to conserve 30 per cent of the Earth by 2030.

Last year, UNEP-WCMC experts were closely involved in the IPBES Nexus Assessment, a landmark report which examines the links between environmental, social and economic crises and explores potential response options. The report underlines the shortcomings of current approaches to these issues:

So what is the solution?

The loss of nature and lack of progress towards sustainable development are system challenges that impact all of society. We need a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach in tackling them.

UNEP-WCMC is working with countries, businesses and the finance sector to deliver on a different approach to development. We support a transition away from traditional pathways, where trade-offs with nature are viewed as part of the process, to a development pathway where biodiversity is recognized as being integral to economic progress and our wider health and well-being

It is easy to be fooled into thinking that nature resides in our peripheral vision, on the fringes of our daily activities. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nature underpins all that we do and is fundamental to our collective ambitions for people and planet. Without conserving and managing nature for people, it will be impossible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. And with our window of opportunity for nature and people to thrive closing, we must scale up urgent action now. The longer we delay, the greater the price we will pay for inaction.

Watch the #BiodiversityDay video message from our Director, Neville Ash, here

UNEP has developed a new interactive tool which demonstrates the many links between the SDGs and the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Main image: seaweed farming in Zanzibar. Photo: Natalija Gormalova / Climate Visuals Countdown