Synergies Between Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Alleviation in China

Abstract

Poverty alleviation and environment protection are two major topics in the field of sustainable development (Secretariat of CBD. Convention on Biological Diversity[M]. ICAO, Canada, April, 1998). The contradiction between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development is a worldwide problem. Biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development are both involved in United Nations Millennium Development Goals, issued in 2000, and Post-2015 Development Agenda approved by United Nations Development Summit. China is one of the countries with the most abundant biodiversity. Varieties of biological resources are mostly located in the central and western regions with the poor population. Accelerating the transition of impoverished production and living style and taking advantage of biodiversity resources to achieve the goal of poverty alleviation are the major approaches to promote harmonious development between human and nature, environment and economy, human and society. Additionally, they are the major motivation for poor areas under the “new normal” in China.