Center for Biodiversity Outcomes director Leah Gerber recently published a paper in Conservation Science and Practice with colleagues Mark Shwartz and Lindsay Dreiss on the need for a national biodiversity strategy in the United States. The paper highlights both the need for a national strategy and the kinds of legislation and policy needed in order to better meet the ongoing biodiversity crisis. They propose a method for developing a national biodiversity strategy and five key elements.
A national biodiversity strategy should:
- Identify priorities among legislation that impact biodiversity, including conflicting policies.
- Create a comprehensive vision for societal participation in biodiversity protection.
- Mandate periodic review to provide a publicly accessible "state of biodiversity" summary.
- Be as comprehensive and broad as biodiversity itself, spanning organizational ranges from genes to ecosystems.
- Provide a structure for achievement that incentivizes and encourages innovation at all levels and sectors, particularly focusing on nature-based solutions to complex environmental challenges.