Re-Thinking the Sustainable Development Goals From the Point of View of Social Ecology and Environmental Law

Development With Victims: Paradoxal Poverty Of Biologically Megadiverse Countries

Within this list of “mega diverse countries” there are 6 Latin American countries (Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela), which from the beginning of the 21st century to the present show a severe picture of “paradoxical poverty” (Kliksberg, 2004). Peru, with a territory dominated by the Andean mountain, presents a particular biogeography with life zones that go from the coastal desert-marine edge to the Andean ecosystems and the humid mountain ecosystems run along the eastern mountain range. This geography favors the biological richness of species, ecosystems and landscapes; cultural and ethnic. Within its territorial limits a high specific richness of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, marine fish and continental waters has been recorded. In its floristic diversity it registers almost 25 thousand species, being one of the twelve original centers of agricultural cultivars on the planet. Peru with these figures can aspire to a country with high human development, in a modern futuristic vision and taking advantage of its comparative advantages; unfortunately, it is an exporter of natural resources without added value.