The economics of ecosystems and biodiversity (TEEB)

The TEEB study is evaluating the costs of biodiversity loss in comparison to the costs of biodiversity conservation. Preliminary findings were presented in May 2008 in an interim report to the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity:

TEEB interim report (2008)

This report made clear that: "if we do not adopt the right policies, the current decline in biodiversity and the related loss of ecosystem services will continue and in some cases even accelerate... Current trends in the loss of ecosystem services on land and in the oceans demonstrate the severe dangers that biodiversity loss poses to human health and welfare.”

The second phase of the study runs until 2010 and targets specific groups including business. A call for contributions from the business community is now underway until mid-2009:

TEEB D3 – Report for business – call for contributions (2009)

 Please email your D3 contributions to:

ENV-TEEB-CALL-D3@ec.europa.eu

More information is available on the following websites:

ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/economics

unep.org/greeneconomy/index2.asp?id=teeb