Interim Report - TEEB

S Y N O P S E S O F S T U D I E S
COST OF POLICY INACTION (COPI): THE CASE OF NOT
MEETING THE 2010 BIODIVERSITY TARGET
Braat L. (Alterra) and ten Brink, P. (IEEP) et al, May 2008
(for DG Environment, European Commission)
The study presents the impacts of global economic
development according to the OECD baseline scenario
(OECD March 2008) on biodiversity on land and in the
oceans, on the associated ecosystem services and on
economic and social systems, in quantitative and monetized
terms. Building on modelled future change in biodiversity
(Global Biodiversity Outlook 2, CBD 2006) and the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment (2005), the annual global and
regional welfare losses due to decreased biodiversity and
loss of ecosystem services have been calculated. The
study is exploratory, identifying preliminary numbers as to
the scale of the impacts and the economic importance of
addressing biodiversity loss, and clarifying methodological
approaches for a wider analysis of its implications for welfare
and well-being.
REVIEW ON THE ECONOMICS OF BIODIVERSITY
LOSS: SCOPING THE SCIENCE
Balmford, A., Rodrigues, A. (University of Cambridge),
Walpole, M. (WCMC), ten Brink, P., Kettunen, M. (IEEP),
and Braat, L. and de Groot, R. (Alterra), May 2008 (for
DG Environment, European Commission)
This study encompassed two main tasks. Firstly, it developed
a conceptual framework for estimating the net economic
consequences of policy actions to conserve biodiversity and
ecosystems. This framework, which can be used as a tool for
testing policy packages at a diversity of spatial scales, relies
on the spatial assessment of the variation in the marginal
benefits and costs of biodiversity conservation. The second
main task in this study was a coherent overview of existing
ecological knowledge, upon which to base the economics of
the review. For a diversity of ecological processes (e.g.
pollination, water regulation) and benefits (e.g. fisheries, wild
meat) the project reviewed the literature and consulted with
experts to understand: the relationship with human wellbeing;
how biodiversity loss and ecosystems degradation are
likely to influence the provision of each process or benefit,
including in terms of long-term resilience; what challenges
such provision faces; and what are the current trends.
Crucially, this review also investigated how far current
knowledge is from being able to quantify and map, at the
global scale, estimates of the production of each process or
benefit, upon which a spatially explicit economic valuation
can be based. A mixed picture emerged, with some areas
sufficiently advanced in knowledge to form the basis of the
economic valuation, while for others substantially more
research is needed.
REVIEW ON THE ECONOMICS OF BIODIVERSITY
LOSS: ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS
Markandya, A., Nunes, P.A.L.D. (FEEM), Brauer, I.
(Ecologic), ten Brink, P. (IEEP), and Kuik, O. and
Rayment. M. (GHK), April 2008 (for DG Environment,
European Commission)
This report reviewed the set of articles and other submissions
that responded to the European Commission’s “call for
evidence”. A hundred and sixteen contributions were
received from 55 participants. The main message is that we
are witnessing a progressive loss of biodiversity and that this
is the cause of significant welfare damages. Secondly,
economic valuation of changes of biodiversity losses can
make sense – when a clear diversity level is chosen, when a
concrete scenario for biodiversity change is formulated, when
changes are within certain boundaries, and when the
particular perspective on biodiversity value is made explicit.
The call for evidence also clarified that there is a range of
gaps in the coverage of the valuation literature, for example,
the value of indigenous knowledge in the conservation of
biodiversity is under-researched, as is the biodiversity value
of marine resources, especially deep sea resources, and also
the valuation of genetic material. In addition, the review also
concludes that estimates of economic values should be
considered at best as lower bounds to unknown values of
biodiversity. Priorities for research are to carry out more case
studies of biodiversity loss and practical ways of dealing with
it at the country level, and to explore existing valuation data
and value transfer techniques. Most importantly, biodiversity
should not remain an isolated “environment” issue and its
importance in the context of economic and other global
issues, such as climate change, should be further analysed.
Synopses of studies
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