Legacy of colonial biodiversity exploitation explains poverty in biodiversity-rich countries

Legacy of colonial biodiversity exploitation explains poverty in biodiversity-rich countries

Nature provides resources to society, and the diversity of species (think of pollinators, for example) is expected to underpin human economies. So why are the poorest countries also those richest in wildlife, containing a high number of different species? The reason, according to new research, is that colonial exploitation of that biodiversity by now-rich countries created poverty legacies that persist today.