It also suggests policy changes that wouuld save money and protect biodiversity by removing damaging subsidies. The report addresses the arguments behind the current takings dispute and describes efficient ways of strengthening the relationship between economic health and conservation. This summary is intended to highlight a few of the important points that are covered more thoroughly in the full report. Background Biodiversity is the diversity of life on earth, on which we depend for our survival. Diverse ecosystems create the air we breathe, enrich the soil we till and purify the water we drink.
Ecosystems also regulate local and global climate.
No one can seriously argue that biodiversity is not valuable. Nor can anyone seriously argue that biodiversity is not at risk. There are over 900 domestic species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and 4,000 additional species are candidates for listing. We are losing species as a result of human activities at hundreds of times the natural rate of extinction. The question which engenders serious controversy is whether society can afford the costs associated with saving biodiversity.