GREEN TECHNOLOGIES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: A REVIEW

Abstract

The accelerating decline of global biodiversity, driven by habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, overexploitation, and unsustainable agricultural practices, poses an existential threat to ecosystem stability and human well-being. In response, green technologies have emerged as transformative tools for reconciling economic development with environmental sustainability. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of green technological innovations applied to biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability, spanning renewable energy systems, environmental biotechnology, precision agriculture, smart monitoring technologies, and digital conservation tools. The analysis examines the conceptual foundations of green technology, evaluates its applications across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, and critically assesses the associated trade-offs and ecological risks. Key findings reveal that while technologies such as remote sensing, environmental DNA analysis, AI-driven species identification, and bioremediation offer unprecedented opportunities for monitoring and restoring biodiversity, their deployment must be carefully managed to avoid unintended consequences, including habitat fragmentation from renewable energy infrastructure and e-waste generation. The review highlights the importance of strategic planning, such as the mitigation hierarchy for renewable energy siting, and the integration of nature-based solutions with technological interventions. Challenges including high costs, technical capacity gaps, data interoperability issues, and inequitable access disproportionately affect developing nations with the greatest biodiversity richness. Policy frameworks, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, provide crucial enabling conditions for scaling green technologies, yet implementation remains uneven. The review concludes that realizing the full potential of green technologies requires interdisciplinary collaboration, robust governance structures, increased investment, and a commitment to biodiversity-positive technological development that aligns with planetary sustainability goals.