Nature for the Benefit of Humanity
Global economic growth in the 21st century is faced with a paradox: the more we develop the economy, the more we destroy the natural systems that underpin it. Soil degradation, water shortages, and the loss of biodiversity are direct threats to the sustainability of the economies of the countries of the Global Majority. Traditional approaches to environmental restoration require enormous investments and are often ineffective because they attempt to replace natural processes, rather than harness their potential.
Failed projects such as the rehabilitation of the Uvod River in Russia [1], or the Great Green Wall in Africa [2], reveal a systemic project: projects that ignore the complexity of natural systems lead to a waste of resources and a loss of trust at all levels. At the same time, calculations show a steady decline in river flow, even in water-rich regions. And a 1% drop in precipitation in arid regions leads to a reduction of almost 1.2% in crop area. There is an urgent need for low-cost, adaptable, and sustainable solutions to restore the environmental potential of territories.
One such innovative solution could be the technology for developing a natural metasystem through biochomocenosis [3]. It means the transition from the struggle against nature to strategic cooperation with it. Instead of large-scale interventions, it proposes a methodology for targeted, minimally invasive interventions that trigger the self-organization mechanisms of ecosystems.
The technology is based on the MaxiMin strategy, which minimizes risks and is based on three principles:
1) the priority of water as the basis of all biological processes;
2) “don’t go in the swamp” where the system is capable of self-restoration;
3) maintaining food chains to ensure sustainability.
In terms of practical implementation, there are five standardized methods that are adaptable to any condition:
1. “Improving Productivity” – creating systems of embankments and ditches with the planting of trees to control erosion and retain water.
2. “Oases as Growth Points” – the establishment of highly productive nodes for biological expansion on degraded lands.
3. “Dead-End Reservoirs” – creating bodies of water that work as buffers to stabilize the hydrological regime.
4. “Funnel notches” – creating microbiotopes for arid areas.
5. “A Thousand Rivers” – the distribution of water flow for vast territories.
The philosophy of biochomocenosis states that the individual acts not as a manager but as an initiator, giving the system a “kick start.” Further development – that is, the most resource-intensive part – is transferred to nature itself as a more competent “engineer.” The economic effect is achieved through the manifold reduction in capital and operating costs compared to traditional land reclamation or amelioration.
To implement this global growth platform, we propose:
– Launching a network of pilot projects in partner countries. Each project will become a living laboratory and demonstration site, proving the effectiveness of the approach in specific areas – from the Arctic to Antarctica, from the desert to nuclear wasteland.
– Creating an International Open Knowledge Platform for Regenerative Ecology within the BRICS+ framework. The goal is to collect, adapt, and disseminate success stories of the use of biochomocenosis in various climatic and socioeconomic conditions.
– Developing green investment standards for regenerative projects. This will help bring in private and public capital, as investors will have clear criteria for assessing effectiveness and projected returns.
The proposed biochomocenosis paradigm represents a new platform for global growth, where economic development is directly linked to the increase of natural capital.
Expected benefits:
– Economic: A 60–80% reduction in the cost of land restoration [4], which will create new markets for regenerative services and “green” jobs and increase productivity in agriculture and forestry.
– Social: Better food and water security; improved public health through environmental quality; greater resilience of local communities to climate shocks.
– Environmental: Restoration of biodiversity, water balance and soil fertility; creating carbon depots to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Investing in the environment through a meta-systemic approach and biochomocenosis technology will allow to lay the basis of a sustainable economy in the future. It is a chance for the countries of the Global Majority to stop playing catch-up with an outdated growth model and build their own instead – one where the prosperity of nature is directed towards the benefit of humanity.
1. Rodionov, V. Z., Dregulo, A. M., & Kudryavtsev, A. V. (2019). The Impact of Anthropological Activity on the Ecological State of Rivers in Leningrad Oblast. Water and Ecoology, 4 (80).
2. African Union Great Green Wall Initiative Strategy and Ten-Year Implementation Framework: Enhancing Ecosystems Restoration and Livelihoods Resilience (2024–2034).
3. Zakharov, A. (2025). Development of Natural Meta-Systems Based on Biochomocenosis (master’s dissertation). Available at: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.11353.38246.
4. These figures are based on a comparative calculation of the “Improving Productivity” method costs (for example, creating embankments and ditches with the planting of trees) and the cost of constructing a classic earthen dam with equivalent functions. The calculations are provided in the financial and economic modelling in the dissertation (Appendix D).
5. The forecast of the socio-economic effect (job creation, increased productivity, increased sustainability) is based on the extrapolation of the pilot calculations and models presented in the dissertation to a potential scaling-up in the countries of the Global Majority.
