Bishop, Joshua

Global spending on nature conservation is currently estimated at around US$50 billion per year. Most of this is public money, yet even this is far from sufficient to maintain biodiversity and the ecosystem services upon which our economies, livelihoods and well-being depend. For this reason, many governments are using payments for ecosystem services (PES) and related market-based instruments to encourage the private sector to do more to protect the environment.

Cette étude examine les coûts de conservation et la valeur des avantages liés à la biodiversité pour la zone couverte par le projet QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) et ses alentours, mettant particulièrement l'accent sur le complexe forestier de Tsitongambarika (TGK). L'objectif consiste à déterminer et à quantifier la valeur des modifications des services des écosystèmes issues d'interventions particulières privilégiant des modalités de conservation de la forêt, différentes des méthodes courantes, à savoir poursuite de la déforestation et dégradation des écosystèmes.

Este estudio analiza los costos de la conservación y el valor de los beneficios asociados con la biodiversidad en y alrededor del área del proyecto QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), con especial atención al bosque Tsitongambarika (TGK). El objetivo es cuantificar y valorar los cambios en los servicios ambientales resultantes de las intervenciones que se apartan de lo acostumbrado en TGK, es decir, la deforestación y degradación ambiental, a favor de alguna forma de conservación forestal.

This study examines the costs of conservation and the value of benefits associated with biodiversity around the QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) project area, with a focus on the Tsitongambarika (TGK) forest complex. The aim is to quantify and value changes in ecosystem services resulting from interventions that deviate from 'business as usual' in TGK, i.e. projected continued deforestation and ecosystem degradation, in favour of some form of forest conservation.

It has become clear during recent global deliberations on biodiversity conservation that achieving Protected Area (PA) financial sustainability will require major changes in the way that PA funding is conceptualized, captured and used. With many, if not most, PAs facing funding crises, both in terms of the amount of funds available and how those are used, there is an urgent need to expand and diversify PA financial portfolios, and to ensure that funding reaches the groups and activities essential for biodiversity conservation.

The aim of this synthesis is to highlight and illustrate the approach adopted by TEEB: namely to show how economic concepts and tools can help equip society with the means to incorporate the values of nature into decision making at all levels.

This report provides a summary for the business community, illustrated with examples from a range of companies and sectors. It asks: what are the risks and opportunities to business of ecological change? What is business currently doing about biodiversity and ecosystem services? What more could business do? and how can the business imperative to deliver profits be better aligned with the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources?