Abstract

Current accelerating biodiversity loss is by many conservationists regarded as a result of economic development. Some economists agree on this viewpoint but argue it is valid at low income levels because of the need to secure a minimum living standard. On the other hand, economic development at higher income levels can instead mitigate biodiversity loss because of improved willingness and affordability to implement measures such as protected areas. This so-called environmental Kuznets relation is tested in this study by econometric analysis of cross-sectional data on a global scale. However, the results do not support this relation. Instead, we found a relation between economic and institutional development where economic development decreases biodiversity loss at a minimum level of institutional quality, i.e. minimum capacity to implement and secure property rights for the citizens. Our results thus question policies that neglect institutional quality for reversing biodiversity loss. Further, it was found that biodiversity loss increases with invasive species, high average temperature and precipitation, and spatial autocorrelation.

Keywords

Biodiversity loss; Climate; Land use; Non-indigenous species; Spatial autocorrelation; Economic development; Institutions; Econometrics

Published in

Regional Environmental Change
2016, Volume: 16, number: 2, pages: 445-457
Publisher: SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

SLU Authors

• Gren, Ing-Marie

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Campos, Monica

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Gustafsson, Lena

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Economics


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-015-0754-9

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/70097