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A valuable investment: preserving ‘ecosystems services’
Used under license from Shutterstock.com
A new study called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) states that preserving natural ecosystems hold better returns than an investment in gold. Rounding up over 1,100 studies done on ecosystems around the world, the results show that benefits of investing in conservation further outweighs its cost.
A few cases in point: The protection of 12,000 hectares of mangroves cost the Vietnamese government $1.1 million but saves $7.3 million annually on dyke maintenance; in New Zealand, a grassland conservation area, which serves as a watershed, supplies the Otago region with free water which would have cost $100 million annually if the same amount of water would be sourced elsewhere.
By painting a distinct and tangible table of potential financial gains, the TEEB aims to attract the support of policymakers to invest heavily in conservation and reap its unparalleled benefits. Read the full article here
By Maria Belgado
Tags: New Zealand, TEEB, The economics of ecosystem services, Vietnam
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