Research News
Natural History Museum Berlin. Photo: André Künzelmann/UFZ
More information:
www.helmholtz.de/ufz-teebreport-2010
What is the value of nature?
The contributions of insects, beetles, mushrooms, soil life, plants and vertebrae cannot be replaced and often do not function anymore when individual elements in the ecosystem are missing. Therefore, effective measures against further loss of biodiversity are an urgent economic exigency. This is the conclusion the international study on The Economy of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) arrived at.
For the TEEB study, over 500 scientists analysed and evaluated thousands of studies, political approaches and economic methods. The UFZ scientifically coordinated this immense task on commission by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The final report, which was presented at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Japan, demonstrates on the example of forests, cities and mining how the services rendered by ecosystems can be economically assessed and included in calculations. In Mexico, for instance, a national financial interchange system for ecosystems services was introduced seven years ago. As a result, the deforestation rate was reduced by 50%, water catchment areas and biodiverse cloud forests were safeguarded and approximately 3.2 million tons of CO2 emissions were avoided. "Do nothing, and not only do we lose trillions worth of current and future benefits to society, we also further impoverish the poor and put future generations at risk. The time for ignoring biodiversity and persisting with conventional thinking regarding wealth creation and development is over. We must get on to the path towards a green economy", says TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev. The most important recommendations in the TEEB final report include a survey of forests and the promotion of agreements such as REDD+ in order to preserve forest habitats. The principles of 'polluter pays' and 'complete damage rectification' are recommended as guidelines for tax reforms and government incentive structures. In addition, subventions should be assessed in greater detail and published so that environmentally damaging effects can be recognised and reforms can be instituted. For the TEEB pointed also to this: Subventions for agriculture, fishing and mining in particular contribute massively to the destruction of diversity.
