Declaración de la World Happiness Foundation sobre el ODS 15: Armonía entre especies y biodiversidad

Introduction: Nature as Our Extended Family

Life on land (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15) stands at the core of a healthy planet and sustainable happiness. Over the past decades, the global community has made some strides – more land has been brought under protection (nearly 17% by 2020, meeting a key Aichi target) and countries recently agreed to conserve 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030 under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Yet our planet’s biodiversity is still in crisis. Wildlife populations have plummeted by an average 69% since 1970, and approximately 1 million species are at risk of extinction within decades unless we change course. Every year, an estimated 10 million hectares of forest – an area about the size of Portugal – are still cut down, destroying vital habitats and carbon sinks. These alarming trends have placed biodiversity loss among the top global risks for the coming decade, alongside climate change and extreme weather. In fact, the world is off-track on SDG 15, with nature’s decline undermining progress on multiple fronts. The UN’s 2023 SDG progress report warns that goals on hunger, health, and biodiversity (SDGs 2, 3, 14, 15) are all stagnating or reversing. Science is clear: without urgent action to protect nature, we jeopardize not only wildlife but human well-being and the entire 2030 Agenda – one analysis finds that ongoing climate and ecosystem degradation could undermine 80% of the SDG targets related to poverty, hunger, health, water, cities and more.

The World Happiness Foundation (WHF) views SDG 15 as absolutely critical because humanity’s happiness and future prosperity depend on living in harmony with our extended family of life. In our paradigm of “Happytalism,” we measure societal success by the well-being of all members of Earth’s community – human and non-human alike. This ethos reflects our belief that all species have intrinsic value and a right to flourish. As Luis Miguel Gallardo, our founder, emphasizes, Happytalism highlights “ the interdependence of species and the interconnection with nature and the planet”. Humans are not separate from the web of life; rather, our fate is inseparable from that of forests, animals, and ecosystems. Good human lives ultimately require a thriving natural world. Thus, achieving SDG 15 is not an isolated environmental issue – it is foundational to a happier, healthier, and more ethical world for everyone. We reimagine SDG 15 as “Interspecies Harmony & Biodiversity,” a positive vision where human progress never comes at the expense of other living beings. In this vision, we go beyond merely halting biodiversity loss – we actively promote a paradigm of interspecies equality, protecting and restor

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