CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY & DELIVERING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

In Nepal, the majority of the
population lives in rural
areas and derives its
livelihood directly from
ecosystems services.
Understanding, assessing
and monitoring ecosystem
services can lead to better
policy formulation, resulting
in management that
delivers more effective
conservation, resilient
livelihoods and poverty
reduction.
In Nepal, the majority of the population derive their livelihoods from natural habitats, such as
forests, grasslands and wetlands (see box).
The importance of ecosystem services to Nepal’s national economy
■ More than 80% of Nepalese people derive their livelihoods from natural habitats
■ Biomass provides nearly 90% of total energy consumption
■ Water crisis has emerged as a national problem
■ Environmental health costs associated with poor environmental management are a
significant burden on the national economy
Despite our dependence on ecosystem services, they are consistently overlooked and
undervalued in decision-making that affects their provision. This may be because ecosystem
services are not understood, or they are taken for granted, or because they are not included in
economic equations when key decisions on land use are made. As a result, poor choices are
often made which destroy or degrade natural habitats, resulting in the decline of many
services, along with the biodiversity that supports them, often with severe impacts on poor
and vulnerable people. Understanding, assessing and monitoring ecosystem services can lead
to better policy formulation, resulting in land-use and management options that deliver more
effective conservation, resilient livelihoods and poverty reduction (see box).
Measuring and monitoring ecosystem services can:
■ lead to better land-use planning decisions to support both biodiversity
conservation and ecosystem service delivery
■ identify and inform management strategies to enhance economic sustainability
and human well-being
■ provide information on additional benefits from business-as-usual approaches to
biodiversity conservation
■ identify those affected by land use management decisions, and so help spread the
costs and benefits more fairly among stakeholders
■ provide information to raise awareness and build public and Government support
for evidence-based policy and management decisions
Wood harvested from forests and other ecosystems has considerable value for many Nepalese people
who use it in cooking and heating their homes (David Thomas)