Biodiversity, the Environment, Animal Welfare and Human Well-being 77
Kichwa nationals live in this region and actively work in the defence of collective
and territorial rights, so they can continue building Sumak Kawsay.
The Sumak Kawsay is an alternative vision to the western economic model,
moving away from non-sustainable exploitation of natural resources and focusing
on the defence of life in general. It adopts a sustainable lifestyle, aiming to main-
tain harmony with all living beings in a true One Welfare lifestyle.
Case Study 18. Continued.
The different areas relevant to this section are multiple and interactive.
The links between particular changes in ecosystem services and the various
indicators of human well-being (MA Board, 2005) and animal welfare are
often not well understood. However, there are already systems with defined
indicators; for example, the Marmot indicators include a diverse range of
social, economic and environmental factors and look at the impact on peo-
ple’s health (Marmot Indicators, 2017). Interestingly, animals are not part
of that system; yet identifying relevant data correlations between human
well-being, animals and the environment could help in undertaking a more
holistic approach and increase intervention efficiency.
5.1 Interaction Between Diverse Factors
There is an intrinsic connection between biodiversity and ecosystem functions,
with multiple areas highly related to other complex factors. This complicates
attempts to make statements of causality or to establish the proportionality
of various contributors to changes (MA Board, 2005). As an example, it is
well established that habitat conversion, degradation and fragmentation of land
(usually due to agricultural expansion) and in the oceans (mostly associated
with fishing activities) have been the most important direct drivers of biodiver-
sity loss globally in the recent past (MA Board, 2005). This example has ob-
vious connections to: (i) environmental well-being; (ii) the welfare of wild
and domestic animals losing or having their habitat disturbed; and (iii) local
communities who may be losing natural leisure areas or be subject to negative
changes within their immediate surroundings, such as increased traffic.
Overall, identifying key indicators that can reflect interactions between
the planet’s environment, resources and biodiversity including both humans
and animals should be a priority.
Direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally (MA Board, 2005)
- Most important: habitat conversion (generally for agricultural expansion),
degradation and fragmentation.
- Increasing impact: invasive non-native species, nutrient pollution, climate change.
