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THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY CRISIS AND RELATED POLICY CHALLENGE
These losses harm the economy (see 1.3) and
human well-being (see 1.4). Unfortunately, we usually
appreciate what we have lost too late and/or where
there are no available substitutes. The poorest people
and developing countries are hit hardest by the loss,
but richer nations are not immune. for example, the
loss of bees sparks global concern because it directly
affects natural pollination capacity. Declining fish
stocks are worrying for all but especially the one billion
or more people in developing countries who rely
mainly on fish for protein. over half of the world’s fish
stocks are already fully exploited and another quarter
over-exploited or depleted (fAo 2009a).
The relationship between biodiversity, ecosystems and
delivery of their services is complex (see Box 1.2).
Box 1.2: How does loss of biodiversity affect ecosystem services and benefits to society?
Ecosystems are components of biodiversity; at the same time, species and their diversity are essential components
within ecosystems. Biodiversity plays a fundamentally, though variable, role in the provision of ecosystem services.
If an entire ecosystem is lost, this has a significant structural impact with direct human, social and economic costs.
If other components of biodiversity are lost, this leads to a change in the services provided by an ecosystem but
such changes can be more subtle, making ecosystems less stable and more vulnerable to collapse.
The extent and rate of changes to ecosystem services will depend on many factors such as: abundance of
species/biomass (e.g. carbon storage); quality and structure of habitats and ecosystems (e.g. landscape values
and tourism); and level of diversity (e.g. genetic variety within crops helps to maintain their resistance to diseases).
some ecosystem services (e.g. pollination, many cultural services) are a direct consequence of species’ detailed
composition and diversity. for others (e.g. flood regulation), the role of physical structures and processes at the
ecosystem scale is more important (for more detailed scientific discussion, see TEEB D0.
The pathway from ecosystem structure and processes to human wellbeing
1) one function is usually involved in the provision of several services and the use of services usually affects the
underlying biophysical structures and processes in multiple ways. Ecosystem service assessments should take
these feedback-loops into account.
Source: Adapted from Haines-Young and Potschin 2009 and Maltby 2009
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