A major UN report has warned that ongoing nature losses may push key ecosystems beyond “tipping points”, leading to drastic losses in biodiversity and accompanying ecosystem services.

The third Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3) states that the poor will suffer the first and most severe impacts of change, but ultimately all societies and communities will suffer.

Such tipping points could include the rapid dieback of the Amazon forest, where deforestation, fire and climate change may interact to cause an ongoing cycle of forest loss and a shift to savanna-like vegetation. Whilst reductions in regional rainfall may only affect local agriculture, increased carbon emmisions will hit the global community.

The report continues to state that whilst ecosystem restoration will increasingly be needed, biodiversity and associated services of restored ecosystems remains below that of natural ecosystems, and some systems may be impossible to restore to the original states that economies or communities depended upon (as seen in the Grand Banks cod fishery). Preserving biodiversity and investing in resilient and diverse ecosystems may well present the best-value insurance policy yet devised.

Source: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010) Global Biodiversity Outlook 3.
Montréal, 94 pages. (http://gbo3.cbd.int/media/2721/gbo_en_web.pdf).

Ecosystem services are one of the BES’s policy priorities. You can read more about our activity on the issue here – http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/policy/ecosystem_services.php

The EU Environment Council reached an agreement on aims and ambitions for managing biodiversity loss across Europe on 15 March this year when it adopted the following conclusions:

“[The Council] AGREES on a long-term vision that by 2050 European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides – its natural capital – are protected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity’s intrinsic value and for their essential contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by the loss of biodiversity are avoided;”

“For this vision to be achieved [the Council] AGREES further on a headline target of halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss;”

These resolutions appeared on page three (paragraphs one and two) of the following document; “Council conclusions on biodiversity post-2010 – EU and global vision and targets and international access and burden sharing regime“.

These conclusions were later supported by the EU Council of Ministers, in the published conclusions of a meeting held on 25/26 March:

“There is an urgent need to reverse continuing trends of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The European Council is committed to the long term biodiversity 2050 vision and the 2020 target set out in the Council’s conclusions of 15 March 2010.” (Page nine, paragraph 14).

The declaration of the EU target will no doubt inform discussions upon a formal successor to the target to slow biodiversity loss (to halt this decline in Europe), at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting this October in Nagoya, Japan.

David Dickson, Director of SciDev.net, has written a very interesting piece on the network’s website, discussing the importance of effective science communication in stemming the loss of biodiversity. He states that scientists and others working to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change face ‘formidable challenges’ in presuading political leaders and the public to take action. In part, he says, the failure to tackle biodiversity loss effectively to date, missing the 2010 biodiversity target to achieve “a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss”, is due to poor communication on the part of scientists and the media.

Mr Dickson criticises the scientific community for poorly articulating the importance of biodiversity to decision-makers, relating it to people’s everyday lives and concerns. New targets agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Nagoya, Japan, in October this year, must be accompanied by a ’sophisticated communications strategy’ to avoid a continuation of this mistake. ‘Biodiversity’ as a term is itself flawed, he argues, lacking concreteness which could galvanise public support. In moving forwards, the piece argues, scientists should firm up the science behind an understanding of biodiversity and its importance and must embed this science in viable, sustainable, economic growth and development strategies. Media coverage must relate biodiversity to people’s concerns such as jobs, health and food.

The BES and Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management launched a position statement on halting UK biodiversity loss in October 2009. Read more here.

The UN International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) was officially launched today, with an opening ceremony held in Berlin. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen officially opened the IYB at 10.00am GMT.

Marking the launch of the IYB with a piece on the Guardian website today is Dr Bob Bloomfield, co-ordinator for the International Year of Biodiversity UK activities and network, of which the BES is a member. In his piece, Dr Bloomfield emphasises the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services to the health and well-being of the human population, particularly the poor. Drawing attention to the TEEB (The Economics and Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity) review, led by Pavan Sukhdev of the UN Environment Programme, Dr Bloomfield highlights the economic catastrophe which will befall society should destruction of the natural world result in a loss of fundamental ecosystem services; this would be of an order of magnitude greater than the global economic crisis.

Pavan Sukhdev was a guest speaker at a parliamentary reception in October 2009, organised by the BES and Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, at which both organisations launched a position statement on the role of science and professionalism in conserving biodiversity beyond 2010.

Signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity will gather in Nagoya, Japan, later this year to discuss performance against the target to slow declines in biodiversity by 2010 (the ‘2010 biodiversity target’) and formulate a successor. It’s widely acknowledged that countries have failed to meet this goal: robust action will therefore be needed to meet any targets developed for 2020.

The IYB-UK partnership is made up of over 200 organisations, drawn from diverse sectors, committed to using 2010 to make a difference for biodiversity conservation. You can find out more about the International Year of Biodiversity and IYB – UK at the IYB-UK website: www.biodiversityislife.net.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and the International Year of Biodiversity UK Partnership (IYB-UK), including the BES, would like everyone to do one simple thing to preserve life on earth. With your help, it is easier than it sounds.

1) Make your New Year resolution for 2010 to do something to support biodiversity.

2) Choose a simple, fun pledge from the list on the International Year of Biodiversity UK website

Or, you may know something you want to do already.

3) On 1 January 2010 – or as soon as you can in 2010 – let people know what you’re doing: Tweet, email, Facebook or blog your pledge to inspire others to do something similar. Please include the link to www.biodiversityislife.net/?q=do-one-thing in your communication.

On Twitter you could begin your tweet by saying:

“I’m supporting biodiversity by [type your pledge in here and end with the following hashtag] #iyb”

OR

“Biodiversity is our life so I’m going to [type your pledge in here and end with the following hashtag] #iyb”

Together we can make a difference.

The latest report of the TEEB study was released on Friday, 13 November. ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers 2009′ follows the TEEB Interim Report, released in May 2008. The next releases; ‘TEEB for Local Administrators’ and ‘TEEB for Business’ reports, will be released in summer 2010, whilst the final TEEB synthesis report will be published in time for the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in autumn next year.

The latest document is intended to highlight the relevance of the TEEB study to mainstream policy-making, providing evidence to support a strong case for policy action; concrete examples of ways to make policies work (from removing subsidies to payments for ecosystem services) and practical guidance for managing the transition during policy reform.

TEEB is built around the central point that the lack of market prices for ecosystem services and biodiversity means that the public benefits we derive from these goods are usually neglected or under-valued in decision-making. By failing to account for the value of ecosystems and biodiversity we will make the wrong choices in responding to the global challenges of climate change, food, water and energy security. Making the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services visible to economies and society is necessary to pave the way for more efficient policy responses.

Download the full report and the executive summary.

Access the TEEB website.

The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has been published today, revealing that the number of species threatened with extinction is growing. 47,677 species are on the list, of which 17,291 are at serious risk. This includes 21% of mammals, 30% of amphibians, 70% of plants and 35% of invertebrates. Amphibians are the group most seriously at risk, with 1,895 of 6,825 known species threatened with extinction. 484 of these species are ‘critically endangered’ and 754 are ‘endangered’. 39 species of amphibian are either ‘extinct’ or ‘extinct in the wild’.

Commenting on the report, Jane Smart, Director of the IUCN Biodiversity Conservation Group said: The latest analysis… shows that the 2010 target to reduce biodiversity loss will not be met…It’s time for governments to start getting serious about saving species and make sure it’s high on their agendas for next year, as we are rapidly running out of time.”

Source: BBC News

Access the BES and IEEM position statement on ‘Conserving and Managing Biodiversity Beyond 2010′

Last night the BES and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) held an evening reception in Parliament to launch their new position paper- ‘Conserving & Managing Biodiversity Beyond 2010‘. Together with Countdown 2010 and in association with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF), the reception aimed to highlight the importance of biodiversity to MPs, policy-makers and NGOs, review the success of the 2010 biodiversity target, and influence debate on its replacement.

The reception, which was kindly hosted by Lord Selborne, was attended by over 100 guests, comprising a diverse range of MPs, Lords, academics, policymakers, NGO representatives and professional ecologists. After the launch of the Position Paper, excellent speeches were given by Sarah Robinson, IUCN-UK National Committee; Pavan Sukhdev, Leader of The Economics of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity (TEEB) study, and Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientifc Advisor at Defra. One recurring theme was the importance of generating widespread recognition of the true value of biodiversity and ecosystem services amongst the wider public, as well as the need for a radical departure from a ‘business-as-usual’ approach. Speeches were followed by a stimulating question and answer session with the speakers, before the continuation of the wine reception and an opportunity for further networking.

To download a copy of the new Position Statement, which details the ecological and conservation community’s view on actions that need to be taken post 2010 to halt biodiversity loss in the UK, please see here. If you would like further information on the policy work of the BES, or want to be involved in the future, please see here.

Delivering the tenth annual Darwin Initiative lecture in London last night, Secretary of State Hilary Benn argued that we take our natural capital for granted at our peril, and that only by putting a monetary value on ecosystems and biodiversity will we succeed in advocating for and protecting nature.

Fluently making the human case for protecting ecosystem services, Mr. Benn pointed towards the ongoing TEEB report (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) as potentially representing a turning point in wider attitudes to nature conservation. He expressed the belief that whilst 2009 has become the year of climate change, 2010 really would be the year of biodiversity, with widespread progress being made on multiple fronts.

Looking forward, the Minister argued for the creation of an IPCC-equivalent for biodiversity and expressed the UK’s strong support for current discussions regarding the establishment of a biodiversity and ecosystems services-focussed international scientific organisation. He called for a credible new biodiversity target, not only underpinned by science but also measurable by science, the importance of including biodiversity, especially forests, in any global climate change deal, and the need for a new system of marine governance. Above all however, he stated the need for better-informed policies across government, pointing towards the TEEB as a crucial means of encouraging other government departments and public bodies to take account of the true long-term costs of not conserving our natural capital.

Yesterday the BES Policy Officer joined a group of academics, policy advisors, conservationists and professional horizon scanners at a workshop in Cambridge, aiming to identify a suite of issues which are on the horizon for the conservation community.

Following on from Professor Bill Sutherland’s (University of Cambridge) ‘100 Questions’ exercises, the aim is that the horizon scan will become an annual exercise and help to better inform, and enthuse, the ecological community about the benefits of taking a forward look. The list of issues generated are not meant to be exhaustive but are a representation of those issues emerging likely to have an impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The criteria for inclusion were that the issues should be interesting and, above all, informative: few in the conservation community should have heard of them. The paper will be published in TREE early in 2010.

The meeting was followed by a lecture delivered by Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, delivered to mark the launch of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. The CCI is a collaboration between the university, conservation organisations and NGOs in the city and provides an innovative hub for dialogue and debate. Mr Benn delivered a rallying cry to ecologists, calling on them to contact him directly with ideas on successors to the 2010 biodiversity target. This is something which the BES certainly plans to follow up.

At the drinks reception afterwards there was an opportunity for the horizon scanning group to present the Secretary of State with the list of horizon scanning issues identified and to briefly talk him through each one.

If BES members would like to contribute issues and ideas for the 2010 horizon scanning exercise, please email Policy@BritishEcologicalSociety.org or contribute via the BES Forum section of this website.