Protecting ecosystems is real development, and it has an amazing return on investment
By: Viona Aminda
Tags: Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Ecosystem, Investment, Infrastructure

Pacific island countries are facing an infrastructure and housing emergency due to massive deficits, high urbanization, and increasing populations. Many communities also lack systems and know how to properly maintain infrastructure and homes. Climate change vulnerabilities exacerbate these challenges, which collectively undermine capacity in the region to reduce poverty and improve living standards. Building infrastructure for human needs roads, power generation, health and sanitation, townships, and housing settlements is intended to uplift people from poverty and improve quality of life. However, the unprecedented increase in population and corresponding rate of urbanization and infrastructure growth have placed us on a path toward ecological collapse. Estimated that about 50% of our planet’s land is degraded. Every minute, tropical forests are converted by industrial logging, urbanization, agriculture, and infrastructure building. To date, less than 20% of the world’s remaining forest areas are considered intact. Even within protected areas, 6 million square kilometers (32.8%) of land is under intense human pressure.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which is linked to rampant deforestation and unhealthy consumption habits, is an example of how our relationship with nature is close to passing a point of no return, Scientists are pushing for at least 30% of the world to become a protected area by 2030, using protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). We have a long way to go with only about 15% of land and 7.6% of oceans designated or proposed for protection. Most of the world leaders have endorsed the pledge to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030

According to Leadespledgefornature.org and Campaignfornature.org

Opposition to the scientists proposal relates mostly to the costs involved and to concerns over potential economic losses for the global agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors. However, an independent study led by the University of Cambridge, forecasts costs to reach only between $103 billion and $178 billion. This includes $68 billion for the existing system, of which only $24.3 billion is currently spent. Expanding the protected areas to 30% would generate higher overall output than non-expansion an extra $64 billion to $454 billion per year by 2050. In the tropics, focusing on protecting 30% of forests and mangroves alone would have an avoided-loss value of $170 billion to $534 billion per year by 2050 by preventing damage from flooding, soil loss, and coastal storm surge and mitigating climate change impact. The value would even be higher when all biomes are considered. We can afford to prevent an ecological collapse and most likely the end of human civilization as we know it.

The Solution: A Regenerative Approach to Development

The restoration of damaged ecosystems and the protection of existing natural areas must be recognized as part of sustainable development and included in a country’s development plan. Wilderness areas should not be considered “underdeveloped” but rather as critical for human well-being. This paradigm shift is key to both mitigating climate change and halting the biodiversity crisis.

How can we achieve the ambitious target of converting 30% of our planet into protected areas by 2030? Here are some ideas:

1. Include environmental costs in infrastructure and agricultural development planning

The encroachment of human activities into natural areas cannot continue to be overlooked. Serious indirect impacts include deforestation, habitat loss, hunting and poaching of wildlife, and release of greenhouse gases. Environmental costs linked to these developments are almost never taken into consideration during the planning and feasibility phases. Existing market and land-policy distortions undervalue the use of natural resources, making business-as-usual systems more competitive in the short term. For example, even without the expansion of croplands, thanks to better agricultural practices, today’s global biomass potential exceeds future (peak) demands of 10 billion humans on the planet.

The loss of natural areas must become unacceptable in national strategies and policies, from both an economic and environmental point of view. The COVID-19 pandemic which available evidence suggests is a zoonotic disease that originated from contact between a wild animal and a human shows that investing in the health of natural ecosystems has a remarkable return on investment.

2. Embrace traditional and indigenous knowledge

Eighty percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is in indigenous people’s lands. Nature is better preserved in these lands, yet traditional and indigenous knowledge is often overlooked, if not ignored. Recognizing indigenous peoples’ rights to land, benefit sharing, and institutions are essential to meeting conservation goals, including restoration and protection of wilderness areas. Indigenous land management conserves biodiversity, store carbon, maintains a range of vital ecosystems services, safeguards rich cultures and traditional ways of life, and responds to the needs of the most vulnerable.

3. Mainstream land protection and restoration into development plans

An estimated 287 million hectares of degraded land in the tropics could be restored to continuous, intact forest. Restoration plans can create jobs through replantation activities, endemic plant nurseries, and invasive species eradication and control. Revenues from domestic and international tourism are also expected to increase, providing further benefits for local communities.

Avoided-loss values of forest regeneration are calculated to be in the billions of dollars worldwide. Tropical forest regrowth, especially if assisted, is often rapid and results in carbon sequestration rates of 1.4 tons per acre annually.

4. Establish a “Paris Agreement” for biodiversity

Starting from lessons learned from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity should reach an agreement on a global target. Countries can make voluntary pledges to meet the goal like the Nationally Defined Contributions (NDCs) of the Paris deal. Participating countries should declare their own national biodiversity targets, policies, and timelines, subject to a periodic review, for attaining the overall target. Wealthier countries should also include financial and technological commitments to assist biodiversity conservation in developing economies through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, or bilateral pledges.

5. Involve the private sector in conservation and restoration of ecosystems

The global biodiversity crisis is in large part due to the lack of international commitment and funding over the past 25 years. It is unlikely that developing economies will be able to fund significant actions against biodiversity loss. However, corporations (especially those involved in natural resources-based sectors) have strong financial interests in maintaining biodiversity for their own survival and sustainability. For example, protecting habitats of wild pollinators enhances global crop production by $235 billion to $577 billion annually. The seafood production, forestry, and insurance industries have strong interest in maintaining biodiversity for the sustainability of supply chains, and the investments needed are just a small fraction of the revenues derived from healthy ecosystems.