Alternative proteins are likely essential for biodiversity conservation

Nitin Sekar, Alex Dehgan, Paul Bunje, Cleo Verkuijl, Shayna Fertig, Kavya Jain, Jeremy Radachowsky, Glenn Hurowtiz, Christopher A Jordan, Wes Sechrest, David Goodman, Eric Dinerstein

Animal-sourced foods play a major role in four of the five greatest drivers of biodiversity loss, and the conservation community must do more to address the threats that animal-sourced foods pose. While a variety of tools can help address the problems posed by animal-sourced foods, conservation must prioritize strategies that enable sustainability gains at scale to achieve global consensus goals relating to ecosystem, climate, and species protection in the coming decades. We compare three major strategies—conventional diet change away from animal-sourced foods, reform of existing animal production systems (e.g., feed additives, regenerative grazing), and alternative proteins as a disruptive technology—on their potential for reducing the impacts of our food system at scale. Building on life cycle analyses and studies of other low-carbon technologies, we conclude alternative proteins likely offer a singular opportunity to achieve the level of disruption and transformation in food that solar panels and electric vehicles are achieving in energy and transportation. We also outline the role that the conservation community can play in generating government financing for and public acceptance of alternative proteins, ensuring alternative proteins continue to be sustainable, and fostering a socially just transition for communities who currently produce animal-sourced foods for their livelihoods.