Biodiversity is not for Sale – Illustrated Booklet

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On the occasion of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Navdanya International presents the illustrated booklet Biodiversity is Not for Sale.

This publication brings attention to the critical issues surrounding biodiversity loss and the corporate-driven models that exploit natural systems for profit.

Through powerful visuals and thoughtful narratives, this work highlights the essential role of small farmers, indigenous communities, and local custodians in preserving the Earth’s biodiversity. It delves into the consequences of industrial agriculture and the risks posed by digitalized genetic resources. It also critiques the false solutions offered by biodiversity credits and genetic modification, calling for a profound rethinking of our relationship with nature—emphasizing the need to regenerate local ecosystems through biodiverse food cultures, agroecological practices, and community-led efforts.

Globally, small farmers, indigenous peoples, and local communities have long safeguarded biodiversity. Today, 69% of global biodiversity has vanished, largely due to industrial agriculture and monocultures. These corporate-driven systems replace natural ecosystems with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and harmful agrichemicals, threatening both wild biodiversity and traditional farming knowledge.

In response, corporations push profit-driven schemes like biodiversity credits, digital genetic preservation, and new GMOs. These approaches commodify nature, bypass regulations, and deepen the biodiversity crisis. Real solutions lie in supporting communities that actively conserve biodiversity through sustainable farming, traditional knowledge, and local food cultures.

Real biodiversity conservation requires reintegrating biodiversity into everyday life, starting with food. Small farmers, indigenous communities, and local custodians must lead the way in reversing the biodiversity crisis, through practices rooted in care, reciprocity, and harmony with nature—not commodification.

Illustrated with bold, evocative images by Sara Filippi Plotegher, this booklet serves as a visual and educational tool, inviting readers to critically engage with the urgent need for systemic change in how we value, protect, and regenerate biodiversity for future generations.

Through this publication, Navdanya International showcases that the path to reversing biodiversity loss is grounded in real, community-driven solutions. It draws attention to successful models of conservation rooted in the wisdom of indigenous communities, which have long demonstrated that living in harmony with nature, through poison-free and GMO-free farming systems, can regenerate both ecosystems and local economies.

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