Professor Helen Roy and Professor Paula Harrison of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology are co-authors of a new study that sets out a model for sustainable development. They explain that there needs to be a fundamental shift in how we understand nature, economies and societies, and the connections between them.
In 2019, IPBES published its first Global Assessment of the Status and Trends of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services—an inspiring report which has had far-reaching impacts. The evidence presented is unequivocal in highlighting the unprecedented role of humans in driving the pace of environmental change:
“Nature across most of the globe has now been significantly altered by multiple human drivers, with the great majority of indicators of ecosystems and biodiversity showing rapid decline.” (IPBES, 2019).
Perhaps even more sobering is the assessment that “the biosphere, upon which humanity as a whole depends, is being altered to an unparalleled degree across all spatial scales. Biodiversity – the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems – is declining faster than at any time in human history.”
People depend on nature, and nature also depends on us. This interdependency has been acknowledged through multilateral frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
However, priority is often given to economies rather than to societies and nature, leading to imbalance and, ultimately, declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services that impede sustainability.
Over the last year we have had the opportunity to work with colleagues through collaborations led by David Obura (founding director of CORDIO East Africa and currently Chair of IPBES) to consider alternative approaches to sustainable development. Our work together has resulted in a new paper, 'A Systems Reset for Sustainable Development’ published in Nature's Communications Sustainability, which proposes a fundamental shift in how we understand connections among nature, economies and societies. Rather than treating these as separate pillars, we present them as integrated layers of a single system: nature as the foundation, supporting economies, which in turn delivers benefits to society.
This systems model reveals that today’s sustainability challenges stem not simply from market failures, but from deeper “values failures”— the failure to account for diverse world views and to recognise the intrinsic worth of nature and people alongside economic considerations.
David is known for his inspiring research and insights on sustainability science, recognising the need to work together to promote sustainability across all scales while acknowledging and addressing the unequal economic and value systems driving biodiversity declines. In 2023, he published a study, 'Achieving a nature and people-positive future’, which resonated widely providing actions that encompassed reducing and reversing direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss while respecting the rights of all communities.
It has been a privilege to participate in discussions with David and the interdisciplinary group he convened to develop the latest paper. The model we propose offers practical guidance for reframing sustainability around systems balance, embedding plural values—including Indigenous and local knowledge—into policy, and redefining progress beyond GDP growth to include ecological health, equity and long-term well-being.
If we are to meet the ambitious targets set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we must recognise and inclusively address the impacts of economic drivers on nature and society while respecting diverse world views.
We have learnt enormously from these interdisciplinary discussions. The next IPBES Plenary (12th session) is approaching rapidly – it will be hosted in Manchester, UK, in February. We will both be attending alongside colleagues from UKCEH, and there will be opportunities to share tangible approaches to achieving global collective action and to discuss how the systems reset we outline can guide the post-2030 sustainability agenda.
Helen Roy and Paula Harrison
Further information
Full paper: Obura, D.O. et al. (2025). "A Systems Reset for Sustainable Development."
Published in Nature Communications Sustainability.
In addition to being co-authors on the paper, Helen Roy and Paula Harrison were co-chairs of, respectively, the Invasive Alien Species and Nexus assessments recently published by IPBES. They are both contributing to the ongoing second IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services which will report on progress since the first report.
