Ecosystem Services

 I was going to write about the garden in winter, both my backyard and the BioPark, but another topic has come up.  A 600+ page report on the economics of biodiversity has been released by the UK government.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/final-report-the-economics-of-biodiversity-the-dasgupta-review

The New York Times has picked up the story under the headline "Nature Doesn't Get a Paycheck."

I've long known that ecosystem services are critical to cycles of life.  Likewise, I've realized that we rarely pay the full (or even partial) price for them.  Now someone has attempted to put a price tag on the value of biodiversity.  Here are their 10 take-away messages.

1. Our economies, livelihoods and well-being all depend on our most precious asset: Nature.
2. We have collectively failed to engage with Nature sustainably, to the extent that our demands far exceed its capacity to supply us with the goods and services we all rely on.
3.  Our unsustainable engagement with Nature is endangering the prosperity of current and future generations.
4. At the heart of the problem lies deep-rooted, widespread institutional failure.
5. The solution starts with understanding and accepting a simple truth: our economies are embedded within Nature, not external to it.
6. We need to change how we think, act and measure success.
7. Ensure that our demands on Nature do not exceed its supply, and that we increase Nature’s supply relative to its current level.
8. Change our measures of economic success to guide us on a more sustainable path.
9. Transform our institutions and systems – in particular our finance and education systems – to enable these changes and sustain them for future generations.
10. Transformative change is possible – we and our descendants deserve nothing less.