Why Biodiversity Protection Relies on People-Nature Bonds

Biodiversity loss is often framed as a failure of conservation. In reality, it is a failure of relationships.

Despite global commitments and the expanding protected areas, nature continues to decline. A United Nations report estimates that around one million species face extinction within decades, largely driven by human activity. Ecosystems supporting food security, water regulation and climate stability are being degraded faster than at any point in human history, a defining feature of the Anthropocene.

This decline reveals a fundamental flaw. Protecting nature in isolation from people is not working. Landscapes are dynamic: species move, ecosystems shift and human lives, cultures and economies remain deeply connected to place. Boundaries drawn on maps rarely reflect this reality.

As people and species move across these porous borders, conservation approaches that separate nature from society struggle to respond. A more holistic, relational approach is needed, recognising the interdependence of people, place and nature.

It is within this context that the work of Dr Marie Hale, Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for the Sustainable Development portfolio at MLA College, brings a relational lens to conservation, focusing on how people–place relationships shape evolving social and ecological landscapes. Her research and teaching emphasise the interdependence of people, place, and nature, informing interdisciplinary approaches to global sustainable development.

Landscapes are social, ecological 

Conservation science increasingly recognises that landscapes are social–ecological systems shaped by farming, industry, governance, culture, education and everyday decision-making. Nature does not exist separately from society, and neither do solutions to biodiversity loss.

Research shows that resilient biodiversity conservation depends on three conditions:

• Ecological connectivity allows species and ecological processes to move and adapt.
• Social engagement, where communities participate in stewardship.
• Adaptive and resilient governance, capable of responding to uncertainty and change in ways that align with long-term UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

When these elements align, biodiversity gains are more durable, even under pressure from climate change, economic shocks or political shifts, as seen in recent coral bleaching events, extreme flooding and wildfires, funding pressures on conservation programmes and changing environmental policy priorities.

Why people-nature relationships matters

There is strong evidence that how people relate to nature directly influences conservation success. Communities with higher levels of nature connectedness are more likely to support conservation policies and engage in long-term stewardship. By contrast, initiatives that exclude local communities often struggle to endure, undermined by social resistance and a lack of local ownership. As a result, conservation is shifting away from purely technocratic models towards relational approaches that recognise people as part of the system.

This shift is reflected in evolving approaches to rewilding. Rather than removing people from landscapes, rewilding is increasingly understood as a relationship-centred process that supports co-existence between people, species and ecosystems through dialogue, shared values and long-term learning.

The same thinking underpins the move from resilience to regeneration. While resilience focuses on recovery, regenerative social–ecological frameworks go further by strengthening the mutual reinforcement of human wellbeing and ecological health, improving biodiversity, social cohesion and the capacity to respond to shocks such as drought, flooding or economic disruption.

Indigenous and local knowledge is not an optional expertise

One of the most consistent findings in global biodiversity research is that Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage lands with biodiversity outcomes equal to or higher than those of state-led protected areas. These systems succeed because they are relational by design, embedding ecological knowledge within cultural practices, governance structures and social identity. Recognising Indigenous and local knowledge as foundational expertise is not only a moral imperative, but an evidence-based one.

The numbers underline the scale of the challenge

• Human activity has altered 75% of terrestrial and 66% of marine environments.
• More than 50% of global GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services.
• Nature-based solutions deliver biodiversity co-benefits in over 85% of documented cases.

These figures underline a simple truth: biodiversity loss is not a niche environmental issue, but a systemic risk to societies, health and socio-economic stability.

Education is where long-term resilience is built

Education is one of the most overlooked drivers of biodiversity outcomes.

Sustainability challenges require professionals with relational competence, the ability to understand social–ecological complexity and work across communities, institutions and ecosystems.

Higher education supports this transition by preparing practitioners to translate knowledge into practice. Through undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and short courses, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 14 (Life Below Water), institutions such as MLA College adopt educational approaches that reflect how biodiversity protection and community resilience emerge from the ways societies engage with the landscapes they depend on.

The future of conservation is relational

The evidence is clear. Slowing biodiversity loss and building resilient communities requires a fundamental shift in conservation approaches. Policies, technologies and protected areas remain essential, but they will continue to fall short without a more holistic understanding of human–nature relationships.

Reconnecting people with the landscapes they depend on is not an idealistic aspiration. It is one of the most practical, evidence-based strategies available for safeguarding biodiversity and strengthening resilience in an uncertain world.