Bonn (Germany), 9 September
2010 - Factoring the planet's multi-trillion
dollar ecosystem services into policy-making
can help save cities and regional authorities
money while boosting
the local economy, enhancing quality of
life, securing livelihoods and generating
employment.
This is the finding
of a major international study, entitled
TEEB for Local and Regional Policy Makers,
being released in India, Brazil, Belgium,
Japan and South Africa.
The report focuses on
the natural benefits that human populations
derive from ecosystems, such as food, water
or the regulation of drought and floods
- collectively known as ecosystem services.
The report calls on
local policy makers to understand the value
of natural capital and the services it provides
and apply a focus on nature's benefits in
local policy areas such as urban management,
spatial planning and protected areas management.
The report aims to provide
an inspiring starting point for rethinking
local policy. Highlighting practicality,
the report calls for local authorities to
take a stepwise approach to assessing options
that factor nature's benefits into local
policy action. This approach includes: assessing
ecosystem services and expected changes
in their availability and distribution;
identifying which ecosystem services are
most relevant to particular policy issues;
assessing impacts of policy options on different
groups in the community.
A number of local authorities
from around the world are already seeing
the value of an ecosystems approach to planning.
Examples include:
The replacement value
of the South African municipality of Durban's
ecosystem goods and services supplied by
Durban's 2002 Open Space system was conservatively
estimated at US$0.41 billion per annum.
This figure does not include the tourism
sector which is valued at an additional
US$0.44 billion per annum. The Municipality
is now investigating how to value municipal-owned
spaces and include them on its asset register
in order to make better provision for ongoing
management (Source: Richard Boon1).
Hiware Bazaar, has become
home to more than 50 millionaires (in Rupees)
and boasts one of the highest average rural
incomes in India. In the 1970s, problems
from low rainfall were exacerbated by increased
run-off due to deforestation and vegetation
loss leading to acute water shortages. Village
elders and leaders realised that better
management of water and forests was needed.
With additional resources, and good coordination
between government departments, the village
members regenerated 70 ha of degraded forests,
the number of active wells doubled, grass
production went up and income from agriculture
increased. In less than a decade, poverty
reduced by 73 per cent and there was an
overall increase in the quality of life
with people returning to the village. (Adapted
from 'Sakhuja 2010'2).
Local authorities in
Canberra, Australia have enhanced urban
quality of life by planting 400,000 trees.
Besides making the city greener, the trees
are expected to regulate the microclimate,
reduce pollution and thereby improve urban
air quality, reduce energy costs for air
conditioning as well as store and sequester
carbon. Combined, these benefits are expected
to amount to the equivalent of US$20-67
million for the period 2008-2012 in terms
of the value generated or savings incurred
to the city (Source: Brack 20023).
The report highlights
cities dependence on nature and illustrates
how ecosystem services can provide cost
effective solutions to municipal services.
It shows how, in rural development and natural
resource management, ecosystems services
with high market value are often promoted
to the detriment of the regulating services
that are equally important but less obvious.
It investigates planning frameworks and
environmental impact assessments that can
proactively include a strong focus on ecosystem
services and identify the economic potential
of this shift in approach.
Enhancing local benefits
from conservation, protected areas is studied
and the report also offers guidance on incentives
that reward good stewardship of local natural
capital such as locally adapted payment
schemes for ecosystem services, certification
and labeling schemes.
Speaking on the eve
of the report launch, Pavan Sukhdev, TEEB's
Study Leader, said: "All economic activity
and most of human well-being whether in
an urban or non-urban setting is based on
a healthy, functioning environment. Nature's
multiple and complex values have direct
economic impacts on human well-being and
public spending at a local and well as national
level.
"By focusing on
the various benefits from nature we can
see the direct and indirect ways that we
depend on the natural environment and this
insight can substantially support local
policy and public management.
"We urge local
authorities to read this report and recognize
the benefits provided by nature and the
economic dimension of their local natural
capital."
The report comes in
advance of the 10th Conference of Parties
to the Convention of Biological Diversity
(CBD COP10) meeting in Nagoya, Japan this
October. Nagoya has also seen the benefit
of linking public policy with conservation
issues. In order to save the Fujimae Tidal
Flat, a vital migratory bird stopover site,
from being converted to a landfill site
to meet the city's waste management needs,
the City of Nagoya initiated a major waste
reduction and recycling programme.
This programme started
in 1998 and involved extensive community
education about correct recycling. The efforts
paid off and Nagoya met its target of a
20 per cent decrease in waste within two
years and won national awards for environmental
practice. In the last ten years the volume
of sorted waste has tripled, the volume
of processed waste is down 30 per cent and
the volume of landfill has been reduced
by 60 per cent. Since 2002 the Fujimae Tidal
Flat has been listed on the Ramsar List
of Wetlands of International Importance.
(Environmental Affairs Bureau, City of Nagoya).
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director, said:
"Sizing the problem of ecosystem degradation
and biodiversity loss in economic terms
was the main focus for TEEB's report to
CBD COP-9. Now as we head towards COP-10
I am pleased to see that TEEB's focus is
on solutions that are both workable and
economically successful.
"State and provincial
governments, local authorities, city and
county councils-the audience for today's
new report- can all make a huge contribution
to overall efforts towards a transition
to a low carbon, resource efficient Green
Economy. This is because some 70 per cent
of humanity's ecological footprint is now
linked with the way resources are consumed
in cities. Some Local governments are already
rising to the challenge as the wide range
of case studies and solutions spotlighted
show- from land-use planning which incorporates
ecosystem service values, to new legislation
and payments for ecosystem services. Many
more now need to come onboard."
The TEEB for Local and
Regional Policy Makers report also underlines
three key issues beyond the appraisal of
ecosystem services that need attention if
natural capital will work for local development:
1: Ensure the fair distribution
of rights to nature's benefits. Policy changes
often affect service distribution or access
- and this must be considered during decision
making.
2: Maximise use of available
scientific and experience based knowledge
as this will help provide a common language
to capture diverse views.
3: Engage stakeholders
throughout the process to prioritize and
develop feasible and effective local policy
action.
TEEB has collaborated
with the European Environment Agency's online
Environmental Atlas to present a series
of case studies from around the world that
highlight efforts being made to incorporate
ecosystems and biodiversity into local policy
initiatives. The case studies can be accessed
via a link on www.teebweb.org.
Over 140 experts from
science, economics and policy from more
than 40 countries across the globe have
been involved in the research, analysis
and writing of the TEEB for Local and Regional
Policy Makers report, which has been coordinated
by Heidi Wittmer of the UFZ Helmholtz Research
Centre and Haripriya Gundimeda of the Indian
Institute of Technology.
TEEB is an independent
study, led by Pavan Sukhdev, hosted by United
Nations Environment Programme with financial
support from the European Commission; Germany,
UK , the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Mr. Sukhdev also spearheads the Green Economy
Initiative of the UN Environment Programme.
The TEEB for Local and
Regional Policy Makers report is one of
a series of five interconnected reports.
These include the Report on Ecological and
Economic Foundations, TEEB for Policy Makers
and TEEB for Business. A TEEB for citizens
website goes live in the lead up to Nagoya
and the final TEEB synthesis report will
be released at the CBD COP10 meeting at
Nagoya in October 2010.
Further information is at www.teebweb.org.
