252
The world is also a much more connected and integrated place in 2016 than it
was in 2000. Global financial markets, supply chains, people, and the climate are
more connected than ever (Allan and Matthews 2016). This interconnectivity presents huge opportunities, but also significant systemic risks, as evidenced by the
impact of weather shocks and financial crises on 2008 food price spikes.
To begin to address deeply interconnected challenges such as these, we must
gain an understanding of how best to fit all the SDG puzzle pieces together in a logical manner. According to a review of the targets and goals by the International
Council for Science (ICSU ISSC 2015), all SDGs benefit to some degree from ecosystem protection, restoration, and sustainable use. In order to realize the ambitions
embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, it will be essential to manage
ecosystems to protect nature and improve the supply of, and equitable access to,
environmental benefits while protecting the species and functions present within
them (DeClerck et al. 2016).
The importance of integrating ecosystem services into the effort toward sustainable development has been highlighted in several recent studies. Costanza and colleagues emphasize the need for aggregate metrics of human and ecosystem
well-being to replace growth in the gross domestic product as the primary development goal for nations. They indicate that there is compelling new research relating
ecosystem services and natural and social capital to human well-being, which can
be integrated with the Genuine Progress Indicator to produce an expanded version
that connects more directly with the SDGs.
Considering interlinkages between Sustainable Development Goals and the
nexus, and the urgency to achieve SDGs simultaneously, the Landscapes for People,
Food and Nature Initiative proposes integrated landscape management as a fundamental means of implementation of the SDGs and to manage trade-offs across the
nexus. Integrated landscape management offers an action-oriented means to achieve
multiple Sustainable Development Goal targets simultaneously at local and subnational levels.
Wood and DeClerck (2015) elaborate on the importance of concentrating on
strengthening specific ecosystem-service-related targets in the poverty reduction,
food security, human health, and water SGDs, as each of these depend heavily on
ecosystems in order to be sustainably achieved. They suggest that interventions can
include: managing in-field biodiversity to enhance resilience to climate-related
impacts (SDG1) and combat malnutrition (SDG2); planning landscape configuration
to maximize multiple agro-ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination
to improve food security (SDG2) and reduce disease risk (SDG3); or implementing
riparian and field margin buffers to secure clean water (SDG6).
Managing for ecosystem services, which link human well-being to conservation
outcomes, is essential for achieving the SDGs. To synthesize knowledge articulating where and how ecosystem services contribute to meeting Sustainable
Development Goals, Wood and colleagues conducted an expert survey on evidence
for the contribution and importance of ecosystem services to SDG targets. Experts
judged ecosystem services could make contributions to achieving at least 37 targets
across 10 Sustainable Development Goals, of which contributions were considered
N. Matthews et al.
The world is also a much more connected and integrated place in 2016 than it
was in 2000. Global financial markets, supply chains, people, and the climate are
more connected than ever (Allan and Matthews 2016). This interconnectivity presents huge opportunities, but also significant systemic risks, as evidenced by the
impact of weather shocks and financial crises on 2008 food price spikes.
To begin to address deeply interconnected challenges such as these, we must
gain an understanding of how best to fit all the SDG puzzle pieces together in a logical manner. According to a review of the targets and goals by the International
Council for Science (ICSU ISSC 2015), all SDGs benefit to some degree from ecosystem protection, restoration, and sustainable use. In order to realize the ambitions
embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, it will be essential to manage
ecosystems to protect nature and improve the supply of, and equitable access to,
environmental benefits while protecting the species and functions present within
them (DeClerck et al. 2016).
The importance of integrating ecosystem services into the effort toward sustainable development has been highlighted in several recent studies. Costanza and colleagues emphasize the need for aggregate metrics of human and ecosystem
well-being to replace growth in the gross domestic product as the primary development goal for nations. They indicate that there is compelling new research relating
ecosystem services and natural and social capital to human well-being, which can
be integrated with the Genuine Progress Indicator to produce an expanded version
that connects more directly with the SDGs.
Considering interlinkages between Sustainable Development Goals and the
nexus, and the urgency to achieve SDGs simultaneously, the Landscapes for People,
Food and Nature Initiative proposes integrated landscape management as a fundamental means of implementation of the SDGs and to manage trade-offs across the
nexus. Integrated landscape management offers an action-oriented means to achieve
multiple Sustainable Development Goal targets simultaneously at local and subnational levels.
Wood and DeClerck (2015) elaborate on the importance of concentrating on
strengthening specific ecosystem-service-related targets in the poverty reduction,
food security, human health, and water SGDs, as each of these depend heavily on
ecosystems in order to be sustainably achieved. They suggest that interventions can
include: managing in-field biodiversity to enhance resilience to climate-related
impacts (SDG1) and combat malnutrition (SDG2); planning landscape configuration
to maximize multiple agro-ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination
to improve food security (SDG2) and reduce disease risk (SDG3); or implementing
riparian and field margin buffers to secure clean water (SDG6).
Managing for ecosystem services, which link human well-being to conservation
outcomes, is essential for achieving the SDGs. To synthesize knowledge articulating where and how ecosystem services contribute to meeting Sustainable
Development Goals, Wood and colleagues conducted an expert survey on evidence
for the contribution and importance of ecosystem services to SDG targets. Experts
judged ecosystem services could make contributions to achieving at least 37 targets
across 10 Sustainable Development Goals, of which contributions were considered
N. Matthews et al.