In 2000, the UN member states formulated a number of ambitious objectives. Without any measures for the conservation of nature, these objectives are unfeasible.

At the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, eight objectives were agreed on to address the most serious development issues before 2015:

1. Banning extreme poverty
2. All children to attend elementary school
3. Equality between men and women
4. Reduction in child mortality
5. Reduction in maternal mortality
6. Fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other illnesses
7. Protecting the environment, safe drinking water and fewer people in slums
8. World-wide partnership for development

The necessity of sustainable management
In the UN report Investing in Development it is stated that all targets are technically feasible and that the financial burden is lighter than expected. The need of an approach that takes sustainable management and conservation of global ecosystems into account is hardly dealt with in the report. According to the UN report Millennium Ecosystems Assessment, however, the life of the majority of the poor population is directly linked with natural means of subsistence. About 70% of these people live in rural areas; their life and livelihood depends on ecological services and natural resources.

Ecosystem approach
In the last few years, the pressure on existing ecosystems has increased, due to a growing population, conversion and erosion. If the current global consumption pattern continues at its present pace, 3.5 billion people will live in areas where in twenty years from now, the ecological substrate no longer provides sufficient water for consumption and agriculture. This is partly caused by a careless development policy. The same applies to 90% of the 1.2 billion people in developing countries who live in extreme poverty and who depend on as yet relatively unaffected forests. These forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Illegal logging and the conversion of forests into palm oil or soy plantations are the main causes. For most of the local population the economic profit of this conversion is virtually nil, whereas calculations indicate that conservation of the forests, linked with sustainable, legal logging and stimulating farming cooperations does encourage development.

The problems associated with mangrove forests that are vital for coastal communities are comparable. The expansion of large aquaculture farms has led to a situation in which major natural resources (mainly food) in mangroves and other coastal wetlands are no longer available for the local population. Aquaculture leads to serious and long-term contamination as well. Overfishing poses a threat for the only source of protein for 950 million people. Therefore, it is necessary that an ecosystem-based approach is integrated into the policy that is focused on meeting the Millennium Objectives. It is the only way to prevent that the Millennium Objectives are met in 2015 whilst the foundation of life on this planet (the natural habitat) had disappeared.

What does IUCN NL do?
IUCN NL tries to influence the debate on development aid and trade policy by intensive contacts with members of the Houses of the Dutch parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Development Cooperation and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. In addition, IUCN NL participates in several development organization networks, such as the Partos trade organization, aiming at getting the biodiversity agenda across to these networks. IUCN NL also maintains the global Nature and Poverty Network (NP.net). This network was founded to put the combined knowledge of partners in developing countries and 17 organizations in the Netherlands on the Nature and Poverty agenda.

• The Millennium Ecosystems Assessment
• Nature and Poverty Network