The role of biodiversity in achieving SDGs: Interdependencies and pathways for policy impact

How does transformative change for biodiversity support the Sustainable Development Goals?

This question was at the heart of BIOTraCes webinar, “Role of Biodiversity in Achieving SDGs: Interdependencies and Pathways for Policy Impact”, held on May 8, 2025.

Four expert speakers from EU-funded projects – BIONEXT, BIOTraCes, BIOTRAILS, and CLEVER – brought together thought-provoking research and real-world examples from across the globe. They discussed how participatory action research reveals meaningful local engagement, amplifies real-world impact, and deepens our understanding of what truly works.

The session included questions from the audience, which brought interesting insights.

Key takeaways from the speakers

                  Audra Balundė, from BIOTraCes, Head of the Environmental Psychology Research Centre at Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania)

Audra explored how people involved in BIOTraCes´s nine case studies perceive the relationship between biodiversity and the SDGs, asking: Can we help biodiversity recover if we reach the SDGs? Can we achieve the SDGs if we protect biodiversity and ensure healthy ecosystems?

Across all cases, biodiversity was recognised as a key driver of social and economic benefits. For example, regenerative farming improved both food security and soil health. Rather than being seen as its own goal, biodiversity was viewed as part of a complex web of social and economic factors influencing how we care about the world around us. However, participants of the study also noted that SDGs are often framed in an overly technical or abstract way, which undermines biodiversity goals. Participants pointed out that, while the SDGs reflect the complexity of global challenges, they overlook interconnectedness in local realities.

We need to do something about that alien feeling towards the SDGs. We need to tame them, extend them into each community so that they become part of the system, because they really point out important issues. - Audra Balundé

Elizabeth Diaz General, Postdoctoral researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany 

Elizabeth presented a modelling framework linking biodiversity with water, food, health, transport, energy and climate change. Her stakeholder co-produced scenarios underscored the need for a holistic, values-driven policy approach, looking beyond 2030 and grounding action at the local level.

The session included a first poll question to the audience, invited to answer the following question: We should apply the SDGs at a regional level, even if this means we have to overlook some local partners? Interestingly both speakers strongly disagree with the statement, while the audience was undecided.

            Neus Sanjuán, from BIOTRAILS, Professor in the Department of Food Technology at the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain

Neus presented a case study on the environmental and social impact of soy product exports from Brazil to the EU. Her indicators included biodiversity, water, carbon and deforestation , the impacts on human health, and eco-efficiency ratios. By showing where soy comes from and where it goes, the study made it possible to assess the “footprints” left behind and evaluate the level of impact in each region involved. 

Some key findings included that soy production in Brazil contributes to approximately 17% of the country’s carbon emissions and 1.8% of its freshwater uses, and that  biodiversity footprints and other SDG-related indicators vary greatly by region. Overall, Sanjuán emphasized that biodiversity loss and achieving the SDGs are closely linked, and that the benefits of dealing with both problems often outweigh potential trade-offs.

    Jan Christian Polanía Giese, Senior Manager at Adelphi in Germany,

Jan offered an economic and systems-based perspective on transformative change for biodiversity. His talk focused on identifying key drivers of change within supply chains for products like cocoa, gold, handicrafts, and aquaculture.

By mapping the relevant stakeholders, the environmental and social impacts, and the potential leverage points where action can be taken, he showed how efforts to be more sustainable can be better integrated into the global systems. By aligning leverage points with the SDGs, his team identified a mix of hard and soft policies already implanted to encourage biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. The challenge is putting these polices into action and enforcing them and ensuring that interactions between measures, ecosystems, and social development are managed effectively.

A second poll question followed Jan´s presentation, where the audience was invited to answer the following: The economy should be the top priority, even if this means sacrificing some environmental protections and social equity. The audience tended to disagree with the statement. A discussion followed on the use of the SDGs for greenwashing and marketing, questioning whether the SDGs are poorly designed and in need of redefinition. Neus responded succinctly:

“When you look at them carefully, the definitions and the targets are well defined – the issue lies in how easily they can misused”– Neus Sanjuán

Jan and Audra agreed, emphasising that the problem is not with the SDG framework, but with its application. 

The webinar wrapped up with some advice on what, as individuals, we can do to help stop biodiversity loss and link our actions to the SDGs?

  • Start local – “Local actions are key for transformative change” – Elizabeth
  • Make conscious choices – what we buy, how we live and who we support Start by reducing food waste
  • Engage with your communicating – collaboration amplifies impact. 

When addressing local biodiversity challenges, it’s not always necessary to explicitly link them to specific SDGs — they’re inherently connected. Even if we don’t see the impacts daily, they still affect us all.