Economists and scientists want governments to expand conservation areas
LONDON - With Earth’s wildlife now facing an extinction crisis, a group of economists and scientists is hoping to persuade governments that it pays to protect nature.
That in turn would boost agricultural and forestry yields, improve freshwater supplies, preserve wildlife and help fight climate change – all of which would boost global economic output on average by about $250 billion annually, the group of more than 100 researchers argues in a paper published Wednesday.
“You cannot put a price tag on nature, but the economic numbers point to its protection,” said Anthony Waldron, an ecologist at the University of Cambridge who lead the group examining the economic implications of designating a third of the Earth as a nature reserve. Leaning too heavily on economic arguments could also backfire, if governments end up opening areas deemed valuable to the highest bidders, warned Julia Steinberger, an environmental economist at the University of Leeds.
Hoping to halt the global die-off, 30 countries are already backing a draft document pledging to conserve 30% of the Earth’s surface by 2030, which will be discussed at the U.N. Biodiversity Convention postponed to next year in Kunming, China.
The report said that a major expansion in protected areas would have to be managed carefully to ensure that the economic benefits were spread evenly throughout populations.
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