The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) team, which is largely funded by the UN, recently released a 3-year study showing just how beneficial ecosystem preservation can be (NYTimes). The study is enough to convince even the most steadfast skeptics. To those who believe anything can be engineered:
- $3.7 trillion - can be saved by 2030 if we conserve forests, which help absorb CO2 emissions.
- $50 billion/yr - is how much fisheries could be making if they all harvested in a sustainable manner.
- 30 million - is the number of people reliant on coral reefs for food and income. 1/4 of all aquatic species are located in coral reefs.
- $20-67 million - could be saved over a four year period from planting trees in Canberra, Australia. These trees regulate micro-climate and reduce urban pollution.
- $213 million/yr - is generated in agricultural production as a result of bee pollination of fruits and berries (equivalent to what is generated from honey/beeswax directly).
There are no replacements for the myriad of services ecosystems provide. As much as we think we know, the intricacies of biological systems are yet to be understood. Every day, new behaviors and functions are discovered. Oftentimes, our actions have repercussions on living systems we never would have imagined. If mangroves and wetlands had been left undisturbed, there is no doubt that the destruction caused by the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina would been tamed.
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| Wetland preservation could have severely reduced the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Wetlands are also pivotal in waste detoxification and degradation. |
Benefits of ecosystems:
- Provisional - food, water, crops medicines
- Regulatory - CO2 sequestration, climate regulation, pest/disease control, waste detoxification and decomposition, protection from natural disasters
- Supportive - nutrient cycling, soil formation, photosynthesis, seed dispersion
- Cultural - biophilia (humans <3 nature), religious and spiritual values, recreation
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