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NATURE AND ITS ROLE IN THE TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMY N A T U R E I N A G R E E N E C O N O M Y Box 2.7: Jobs derived from the transition to the green economy Jobs linked to biodiversity and ecosystem services Nature-based recreation (e.g. hunting, fishing and observing wildlife) accounted for nearly 1 per cent of GDP in the US in 2006 or US$122 billion (US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007). Maintaining natural areas in good condition is fundamental to the sector’s continued growth. Reinvesting some tourism revenues in ecosystem protection can support community-based conservation and provide an alternative to more damaging development, while at the same time creating numerous job opportunities. In Bolivia, for instance, tourism related to protected areas and wider nature-based tourism is estimated to generate around 20,000 jobs, indirectly supporting close to 100,000 people (Pabon- Zamora et al, 2009). A report on the social dimension of biodiversity policy quantified employment in different sectors dependent to different degrees on ecosystem services. It found that, in Europe, 15 million jobs (7% of the EU total in 2008) are in natural resource based activities closely linked to biodiversity and highly dependent on the delivery of ecosystem services (Nunes et al, 2011). Source: TEEB (2011a) Jobs and the green economy in South Africa The R7.7-billion (approx. $US 1bn) budgeted for environmental programmes in South Africa between 2012/13 and 2014/15 is estimated to provide 205,877 work opportunities and 102,603 full-time equivalent jobs (Engineering news, 2012). This is in line with a recent ‘<strong>Green</strong> Jobs’ report produced jointly by the Industrial Development 12 Corporation and the Development Bank of Southern Africa. The report estimated that there was an opportunity to create 98,000 new direct jobs in the short term, almost 255,000 in the medium term and around 462,000 employment opportunities in the formal economy by 2025 by pursuing efforts to green the South African economy (Maia et al, 2011). The bulk of these prospects were said to reside in the area of natural resource management, where some 232,926 jobs, or 50.4% of the total, could be created through employing people to conserve and restore ecosystems, such as grasslands and wetlands, or to improve soil and land management. Funding for environmental programmes had also been bolstered by additional allocation of R1.1-billion (approx. $US 140 million) over the three-year period for the Working for Water and Working on Fire programmes. Both of these programmes are thought to have provided significant benefits; Working for Water programme were estimated to have yielded water savings worth R400-billion as a result of the removal of water-sapping alien plants and the Working on Fire initiative had played a role in restricting the damage associated with forests fires (Engineering news, 2012). In addition, the South African National Treasury made R800-million (approx. $US 100 million) available for a ‘<strong>Green</strong> Fund’ to support projects designed to help South Africa transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient and job-creating economy. The objective of the fund was to provide catalytic finance for green economy projects and mainstreaming activities, which would not have been implemented without fiscal support (iol news, 2012). Source: Engineering news (2012); iol news (2012) and Maia et al (2011)
NATURE AND ITS ROLE IN THE TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMY N A T U R E , W E L L - B E I N G A N D D E V E L O P M E N T 3. NATURE, WELL-BEING AND DEVELOPMENT A. Nature provides benefits for people and communities Nature’s contribution to people’s well-being and health Ecosystems and their biodiversity underpin not just the economy but also the well-being of people, communities, and society. Seventy per cent of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend directly on biological diversity for their livelihoods (SCBD, 2010). More than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods, while over 1.6 billion people (including 1 billion living in poverty) rely on forests and non-timber forest products. The World Bank estimated that in 43 countries classified as ‘low income’, natural capital makes up 36 per cent of their total wealth as calculated by the World Bank (WAVES, 2012), even without factoring in the wider range of services ecosystems provide. Over a billion people in developing countries rely on fish as a primary source of protein (World Bank and FAO, 2009), around 1.1 billion people are dependent on forests for their livelihoods, and over half of all commercial Figure 3.1: Contribution of natural capital to human well-being and livelihoods Source: Own Representation Laure Ledoux, building on MA (2005) and TEEB (2011a) Building on the representation of the relationship between ecosystem services and human wellbeing developed in the context of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA, 2005), the figure below depicts the role of natural capital in this process. The flow of ecosystem services – provisioning, regulating and cultural services – can provide direct and indirect support for 13 medicines are derived from natural substances - mostly sourced in rainforests (TEEB 2011a and sources therein). Beyond goods and services, biodiversity often plays an important role in religious beliefs, traditional knowledge and social institutions. Many communities are enmeshed within the ecosystems in which they live and this connection forms the basis of their identity and culture. Thus it is not just wealth (man-made capital) that is in danger from an erosion of natural capital, but also individual well-being, productivity, skills and health (human capital), social well-being, solidarity, and political stability (social capital). Nature and healthy ecosystems are critical at many different levels (TEEB, 2011a). Habitat degradation and the loss of biodiversity are threatening the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people living in dry and sub-humid lands. The impact of environmental degradation is most severe among people living in poverty, since they have few livelihood options. Therefore, the availability and sustainable use of biodiversity by the poor are of direct relevance to poverty eradication. 5 livelihoods (food, materials, water, jobs), security (food, climate, and natural disasters), health (via clean water, disease control, medicines) and harmonious social relations and community wellbeing (MA, 2005; see Figure above). Natural capital plays an essential role in the provision of these services as it underpins both the functioning of ecosystems, as well as other forms of capital.
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