The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Local and Regional Policy and Management

Human well-being is dependent upon 'ecosystem services' provided by nature for free, such as water and air purification, fisheries, timber and nutrient cycling. The world's poor are most at risk from the continuing loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, as they are the ones that are most reliant on the ecosystem services that are being degraded. It is against this background that the TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) project was set up in 2007 and led by the United Nations Environment Programme to provide a comprehensive global assessment of these issues. This volume represents the key output, providing a detailed review of the fundamental ecological and economic principles of valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity.

In this volume of the TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) publication series, the key concepts of the project are applied to local and regional policy and public management. The aim is to show that by taking nature's benefits into account, decision makers can promote local development to ensure human well-being and economic growth and stability, while maintaining environmental sustainability.

The book explores the potential for local development provided by an approach based on nature. It offers examples of successful implementation of this approach from across the world, highlighting the importance of local decision making in management and planning. It provides tools and practical guidance for reform, and throughout the volume the economic benefits of environmental consideration at a local level are expounded.

This book is intended to offer inspiration and practical suggestions for the improvement and sustainable management of the environment and human well-being. The local aspect of this book complements the focus of the previous three volumes, completing the set to provide a comprehensive approach to simultaneously improving and maintaining economic and environmental stability, as well as human well-being.

'The [TEEB] project should show us all how expensive the global destruction of the natural world has become and it is hoped persuade us to slow down.' The Guardian 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Local and Regional Policy offers us a comprehensive framework of how to positively impact ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss at the local and regional level. With numerous case studies along with explanations of how to deliver similar results on your greenfield or brownfield project site, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Local and Regional Policy is an invaluable howto guide demonstrating how to implement sustainability initiatives at the local and regional levels.' - Gabriel Thoumi, CFA, LEED AP, Mongabay.com

Autorentext

Heidi Wittmer heads the working group on governance and institutions for sustainable use of landscapes at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany, where she leads the scientific co-ordination of TEEB. Her previous work has focused on the governance of natural resources, especially biodiversity, and on studying and improving the interface of science and policy in this field.

Haripriya Gundimeda is an associate professor with the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, India. She has worked at many notable institutions around the world, on various issues relating to environment and development economics and green accounting. Haripriya has also been the lead author of six of the eight monographs for the Green Accounting for Indian states Project initiated by the Green Indian States Trust.

Klappentext

Human well-being is dependent upon 'ecosystem services' provided by nature for free, such as water and air purification, fisheries, timber and nutrient cycling. The world's poor are most at risk from the continuing loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, as they are the ones that are most reliant on the ecosystem services that are being degraded. It is against this background that the TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) project was set up in 2007 and led by the United Nations Environment Programme to provide a comprehensive global assessment of these issues. This volume represents the key output, providing a detailed review of the fundamental ecological and economic principles of valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity.

Inhalt

Part 1: The Opportunity 1. The Value of Nature for Local Development Part 2: The Tools 2. Conceptual Frameworks for Considering the Benefits of Nature 3. Tools for Evaluation and Appraisal of Ecosystem Services in Policy Making Part 3: Practical Applications - Planning and Management 4. Ecosystem Services in Cities and Public Management 5. Ecosystem Services in Rural Areas and Natural Resources Management 6. Spatial Planning and Environmental Assessments 7. Ecosystem Services and Protected Areas Part 4: Practical Applications - Creating Markets 8. Payments for Ecosystem Services and Conservation Banking 9. Creating Markets to Conserve Biodiversity - Conservation Banking 10. Certification and Labelling Part 5: Conclusions 11. Making Your Natural Capital Work for Local Development. Appendix 1: Tools and Databases