Dead planet, living planet

PREFACE

Restoration is not only possible but can prove highly profitable in terms of public savings; returns and the broad objectives of overcoming poverty and achieving sustainability

Ecosystems, from forests and freshwater to coral reefs and soils, deliver essential services to humankind estimated to be worth over USD 72 trillion a year – comparable to World Gross National Income. Yet in 2010, nearly two-thirds of the globe’s ecosystems are con- sidered degraded as a result of damage, mismanagement and a failure to invest and re- invest in their productivity, health and sustainability.

ics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) which is bringing visibility to the wealth of the world’s natural capital. It docu- ments over 30 successful case studies referencing thousands of restoration projects ranging from deserts and rainforests to rivers and coasts. The report confirms that restoration is not only possible but can prove highly profitable in terms of public savings; returns and the broad objectives of overcoming pov- erty and achieving sustainability. It also provides important rec- ommendations on how to avoid pitfalls and how to minimize risks to ensure successful restoration. Dead planet, living planet: Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration for sustainable development is part of UNEP’s evolving work on the challenges but also the inordinate opportunities from a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy. The ability of six billion people, rising to over nine billion by 2050, to thrive let alone survive over the coming decades will in part depend on investments in renewable energies to effi- cient mobility choices such as high speed rail and bus rapid transport systems. But as this report makes clear, it will equally depend on maintaining; enhancing and investing in restoring ecological infrastructure and expanding rather than squander- ing the planet’s natural capital.

The loss of ecosystems and the biodiversity underpinning them is a challenge to us all. But a particular challenge for the world’s poor and thus for the attainment of the UN’s Millennium De- velopment Goals. Wetlands provide services of near USD 7 trillion every year. Forest- ed wetlands treat more wastewater per unit of energy and have up to 22 fold higher cost-benefit ratios than traditional sand filtration in treatment plants. Many of the world’s key crops such as coffee, tea and mangoes are dependent on the pollination and pest con- trol services of birds and insects. By some estimates projected loss of ecosystem services could lead to up to 25 % loss in the world’s food production by 2050 increasing the risks of hunger. The loss of mangroves, wetlands and forests increases vulnerability and is a contributory factor as to why as many as 270 million people an- nually are being affected by natural disasters. Ecosystems, such as sea-grasses; tidal marshes and tropical forests, are also important in removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere: their steady decline may accelerate climate change and aggravate further coun- tries and communities’ vulnerability to its impacts. It is high time that governments systematically factored not only ecosystem management but also restoration into national and regional development plans.

Achim Steiner UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director

This report is a contribution to the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity and is a complement to the UNEP-hosted Econom-

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