*Global CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE* *for sustainable agriculture, land and ecosystem management* Dear Subscribers, The Dasgupta Review of the Economics of Biodiversity was released and launched on Tuesday. See details herebelow. Apologies for any cross-posting. *Amir Kassam * *Moderator* *Global CA-CoP* e-mail: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.fao.org/conservation-agriculture ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: David Duthie <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2021 at 20:46 Subject: Dasgupta Review - Final Report launched To: bioplan <[log in to unmask]> Dear BIOPLANNERS, The Dasgupta Review of the Economics of Biodiversity was released and launched yesterday. A live event of the launch can be accessed here <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Fscience-events-and-lectures%2F2021%2F02%2Fdasgupta-review%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552781708%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=NEqapfXF7jbOlPYdd4%2BvudTNIGnkOm1nDQd08gTMm30%3D&reserved=0> (75 minutes, including guest speakers and Q&A) and the Full Report (606 pages), Abridged Version (103 pages), Headline Messages (10 pages) and Reactions (10 pages) can be accessed here <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Ffinal-report-the-economics-of-biodiversity-the-dasgupta-review&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552781708%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=nviaOi4MKm0KUnUC2GaZlVf8iCSs6Vw5MV0%2FQsCQQbA%3D&reserved=0>. The official press release is here <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fnature-is-a-blind-spot-in-economics-that-we-ignore-at-our-peril-says-dasgupta-review&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552791705%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=1h7pNu3BfLH0%2Bhf0bp5FBJM8vedw5I7%2BV0UQVBjFtlM%3D&reserved=0> and below my signature. Some of the background essays used for the report can be accessed below: Amazonia’s future: Eden or degraded landscapes? <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Ftopics-policy%2Fprojects%2Fbiodiversity%2Famazonias-future%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552791705%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ONxg6uC6DQcgMqi3B1Op3ZaklKmv2kux6lgIYpk0WuY%3D&reserved=0> Thomas E. Lovejoy Preserving global biodiversity requires rapid agricultural improvements <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Ftopics-policy%2Fprojects%2Fbiodiversity%2Fpreserving-global-biodiversity-agricultural-improvements%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552801693%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=2Iv%2Fj7fGrVlTCxk7C9BdhGD70eibjfHDgjfvcMzXrqA%3D&reserved=0> David Tilman and David R. Williams Behaviours for conserving biodiversity <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Ftopics-policy%2Fprojects%2Fbiodiversity%2Fbehaviours-for-conserving-biodiversity%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552801693%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=tXiiIzQAB0QWdOz2TEfKa0NhnG5f1e49Dm5faH8r5qg%3D&reserved=0> R.M. Cowling Consumption patterns and biodiversity <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Ftopics-policy%2Fprojects%2Fbiodiversity%2Fconsumption-patterns-and-biodiversity%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552811690%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=v2yibmCs9xAT3VIxYojsLz7SLcCNh%2FF8ccRt%2BHmkoKU%3D&reserved=0> Jianguo Liu Demographic trends and policy options <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Ftopics-policy%2Fprojects%2Fbiodiversity%2Fdemographic-trends-and-policy-options%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552811690%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=uiKSvm7LPLTBmha2T186A1tYvzjUQFpRC0NS8w8WeWU%3D&reserved=0> John Bongaarts Emergent and vanishing biodiversity, and evolutionary suicide <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Ftopics-policy%2Fprojects%2Fbiodiversity%2Femergent-and-vanishing-biodiversity-and-evolutionary-suicide%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552821683%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=uwh5ast0DTmApFXmsnocFFqiy58hvucOcFqQuxxWEbU%3D&reserved=0> Simon A. Levin I will not comment on the report here for now as I intend to read the full report first but, in essence, the report states that the biosphere is a rapidly shrinking Russian doll (matryoshka) within which is embedded a rapidly expanding human economy – and that needs to change! My first impression from the report is that it remains more conceptual (aspirational?) rather than operational but I might need to retract that impression later. By chance, last week, I was reading a couple of articles that I suspect go some way towards what an “operational Dasgupta” might look like, so am pasting them here as a placeholder… *Barbier, Edward B. and Joanne C. Burgess (2017) Natural Resource Economics, Planetary Boundaries and Strong Sustainability. Sustainability*; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su9101858 <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.3390%2Fsu9101858&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552821683%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=FfLBp5dALogbhDi310uc0O56Rtqv0cdLC8DGF0IAzrE%3D&reserved=0> (open access) *Earth systems science maintains that there are nine “planetary boundaries” that demarcate a sustainable, safe operating space for humankind for essential global sinks and resources. Respecting these planetary boundaries represents the “strong sustainability” perspective in economics, which argues that some natural capital may not be substituted and are inviolate. In addition, the safe operating space defined by these boundaries can be considered a depletable stock. We show that standard tools of natural resource economics for an exhaustible resource can thus be applied, which has implications for optimal use, price paths, technological innovation, and stock externalities. These consequences in turn affect the choice of policies that may be adopted to manage and allocate the safe operating space available for humankind. * Barbier, Edward B. & Joanne C. Burgess (2021) *Sustainable Use of the Environment, Planetary Boundaries and Market Power. *Sustainability; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13020949 <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.3390%2Fsu13020949&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552831675%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=m4NFVYu7LIw%2Bq2zbUma5yvVTvolr%2FD4Knn7tWMZf4Us%3D&reserved=0> (open access) *Many of the environment and natural resources that constitute key “safe operating spaces”, as designated by planetary boundaries, are being exploited by a handful of large firms with considerable market share. In this paper, we discuss how the environment and natural resources that occur within a safe operating space can be treated as an exploitable finite stock. We use an optimal depletion model to show how the extraction of these exhaustible assets can be managed optimally, and allow for adjustment in price paths due to technological innovation and environmental externalities. Given the growing market concentration and monopoly power in the key economic sectors that exploit the environment and resources that constitute many safe operating spaces, we then explore how monopoly conditions can alter the extraction and price path of the environmental assets over time compared to that under competitive market conditions. We show that the monopoly may be compatible with more sustainable use, by extending the life of the exploitable, depletable stock, at the expense of firms capturing excessive resource rents from exploitation. This trade-off means that any policies implemented to tax the excessive monopoly rents need to be designed without compromising the sustainable use of the environment. The tax revenue raised can be channelled into protecting or regenerating natural assets that are essential for global environmental sustainability. If investment in regeneration efforts is sufficiently substantial, or if the wider social and environmental values associated with the exhaustible assets are taken into account, then the safe operating space may be conserved indefinitely. Such policy challenges will become increasingly important as dominant firms exert market power over the planet’s remaining environment and resources that constitute key “safe operating spaces”, as designated by planetary boundaries.* Finally, following on from the Nature Based Solution webinar as part of the Oxford Martin School “Net Zero” series, here is a link to a review article by the same authors….. Seddon, Nathalie et al. (2021) *Getting the message right on nature‐based solutions to climate change**.* Global Change Biology; https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15513 <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%2Fgcb.15513&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552831675%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=HWnfCADP5ufQZjJj%2FDZggFpGCO5ftfmNGJj7c7gy6d0%3D&reserved=0> (open access) *Nature‐based solutions (NbS)—solutions to societal challenges that involve working with nature—have recently gained popularity as an integrated approach that can address climate change and biodiversity loss, while supporting sustainable development. Although well‐designed NbS can deliver multiple benefits for people and nature, much of the recent limelight has been on tree planting for carbon sequestration. There are serious concerns that this is distracting from the need to rapidly phase out use of fossil fuels and protect existing intact ecosystems. There are also concerns that the expansion of forestry framed as a climate change mitigation solution is coming at the cost of carbon rich and biodiverse native ecosystems and local resource rights. Here, we discuss the promise and pitfalls of the NbS framing and its current political traction, and we present recommendations on how to get the message right. We urge policymakers, practitioners and researchers to consider the synergies and trade‐offs associated with NbS and to follow four guiding principles to enable NbS to provide sustainable benefits to society: (1) NbS are not a substitute for the rapid phase out of fossil fuels; (2) NbS involve a wide range of ecosystems on land and in the sea, not just forests; (3) NbS are implemented with the full engagement and consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in a way that respects their cultural and ecological rights; and (4) NbS should be explicitly designed to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity. Only by following these guidelines will we design robust and resilient NbS that address the urgent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, sustaining nature and people together, now and into the future. Nature‐based solutions involve the protection, restoration or management of natural and semi‐natural ecosystems; the sustainable management of aquatic systems and working lands; or the creation of novel ecosystems. They are actions that are underpinned by biodiversity and designed and implemented with the full engagement and consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. People and nature, together, co‐produce outcomes which benefit society. While the ultimate goal of NbS is to support sustainable development, including human health and wellbeing, the ecosystems that provide NbS must be healthy, functional and biodiverse if such benefits are to be provided in the long term. * Best wishes David Duthie **************** *Bioplan is a list server run jointly by UNDP and UNEP. To join / leave bioplan, email: **[log in to unmask]* <[log in to unmask]>* with "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Please note: If you wish to reply to the sender only you must create a new message addressed only to that individual, or forward the message to that individual. Using the "reply" or "reply all" option delivers your response to the list administrator.* **************** *Nature is a blind spot in economics that we ignore at our peril, says Dasgupta Review * A fundamental change in how we think about and approach economics is needed if we are to reverse biodiversity loss and protect and enhance our prosperity, an independent, global review on the Economics of Biodiversity said today (Tuesday 2 February). Published 2 February 2021 Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s review presents the first comprehensive economic framework of its kind for biodiversity. It calls for urgent and transformative change in how we think, act and measure economic success to protect and enhance our prosperity and the natural world. Grounded in a deep understanding of ecosystem processes and how they are affected by economic activity, the new framework presented by the Dasgupta Review <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Ffinal-report-the-economics-of-biodiversity-the-dasgupta-review&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552831675%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=FnGasPJm8VAgMuc33EKZFlG%2FP7uIi25gEQ29dFrnFnI%3D&reserved=0> – which was commissioned by HM Treasury - sets out the ways in which we should account for nature in economics and decision-making. Professor Dasgupta said: Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognising that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature’s goods and services with its capacity to supply them. It also means accounting fully for the impact of our interactions with Nature across all levels of society. COVID-19 has shown us what can happen when we don’t do this. Nature is our home. Good economics demands we manage it better. The Prime Minister said: This year is critical in determining whether we can stop and reverse the concerning trend of fast-declining biodiversity. I welcome Professor Dasgupta’s Review, which makes clear that protecting and enhancing nature needs more than good intentions – it requires concerted, co-ordinated action. As co-host of COP26 and president of this year’s G7, we are going to make sure the natural world stays right at the top of the global agenda. And we will be leading by example here at home as we build back greener from the pandemic through my 10 point plan. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Kemi Badenoch said: Protecting and enhancing our natural assets, and the biodiversity that underpins them, is crucial to achieving a sustainable, resilient economy. That is why the UK is already investing more than £600 million in nature-based climate solutions, such as tree planting and peatland restoration. I want to thank Professor Dasgupta for his landmark Review. We will examine the Review’s findings and respond formally in due course. Environment Secretary, George Eustice said: If we want to realise the aspiration set out in Professor Dasgupta’s landmark Review to rebalance humanity’s relationship with nature, then we need policies that will both protect and enhance the supply of our natural assets. This is what lies at the heart of the government’s 25-year environment plan, our approach to future farming policy, efforts to embed biodiversity net gain in the planning system, and other initiatives such as £3 billion for climate change solutions that restore nature globally and our new due diligence law to clean up our supply chains and help tackle illegal deforestation. Sir David Attenborough said: The survival of the natural world depends on maintaining its complexity, its biodiversity. Putting things right requires a universal understanding of how these complex systems work. That applies to economics too. This comprehensive and immensely important report shows us how by bringing economics and ecology face to face, we can help to save the natural world and in doing so save ourselves. The Review argues that nature is our most precious asset and that significant declines in biodiversity are undermining the productivity, resilience and adaptability of nature. This in turn has put our economies, livelihoods and well-being at risk. The Review finds that humanity has collectively mis-managed its global portfolio of assets, meaning the demands on nature far exceed its capacity to supply the goods and services we all rely on. The Review makes clear that urgent and transformative action taken now would be significantly less costly than delay and will require change on three broad fronts: - Humanity must ensure its demands on nature do not exceed its sustainable supply and must increase the global supply of natural assets relative to their current level. For example, expanding and improving management of Protected Areas; increasing investment in Nature-based Solutions; and deploying policies that discourage damaging forms of consumption and production. - We should adopt different metrics for economic success and move towards an inclusive measure of wealth that accounts for the benefits from investing in natural assets and helps to make clear the trade-offs between investments in different assets. Introducing natural capital into national accounting systems is a critical step. - We must transform our institutions and systems – particularly finance and education – to enable these changes and sustain them for future generations. For example, by increasing public and private financial flows that enhance our natural assets and decrease those that degrade them; and by empowering citizens to make informed choices and demand change, including by firmly establishing the natural world in education policy. The Review will launch formally later today (2 February) at an event <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Froyalsociety.org%2Fscience-events-and-lectures%2F2021%2F02%2Fdasgupta-review%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552841668%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=%2BjWdeNL1TzvSYhs%2FfTm6kcKaIO%2FGUBcq%2BL4lV0SJnAs%3D&reserved=0> hosted by the Royal Society, with guests including His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister and Sir David Attenborough. The government has welcomed the Review’s final report and is expected to respond formally to the Review’s findings in due course. *Further information* - The UK Government commissioned Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta to lead an independent, global Review on the Economics of Biodiversity in Spring 2019. - The Review published its interim report <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Finterim-report-the-dasgupta-review-independent-review-on-the-economics-of-biodiversity&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552841668%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=oml%2BLPmmaMNxA7XuFH%2F62Nk5K6RORCBWHsD9uYiWCEQ%3D&reserved=0> in April 2020. - Professor Dasgupta has been supported by an Advisory Panel, drawn from academia, public policy and the private sector. More information about the Panel is available. <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fthe-economics-of-biodiversity-advisory-panel&data=04%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7Cdce8ae5c58f4462704ff08d8c84b6be2%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637479573552851661%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=EQFqNQUeHb3CsNlLNvQyaDfMP2YpzpWI8Q%2FJ0GEDyqQ%3D&reserved=0> - The publication of the Review comes ahead of COP15 for Biological Diversity, where new long-term international targets for addressing biodiversity loss are expected to be agreed; and COP26 for climate change, where Nature and nature-based solutions to climate change are expected to play a prominent role. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CA-Cop-L list, click the following link: &*TICKET_URL(CA-Cop-L,SIGNOFF);