The Amazon forest, global coral reefs and inland water ecosystems are being destroyed to the extent that they may never recover, putting at risk thehuman livelihoods that depend on them, the UN warns in a new report.
"Natural systems that support economies, lives and livelihoods across the planet are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse, unless there is swift, radical and creative action to conserve and sustainably use the variety of life on Earth," concludes the third edition of the UN Global Biodiversity Outlook, published on 10 May.
Noting that the world has failed to meet its target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, the outlook warns that "massive further loss of biodiversity is becoming increasingly likely".
The UN report further warns that with the current rate of biodiversity loss, there will be "a severe reduction of many essential services" provided by nature to human societies, as ecosystems reach their limit and shift to alternative, less productive states, "from which it may be difficult or impossible to recover".
The report already identifies three such potential ecosystem "tipping points": deforestation in the Amazon, eutrophication of inland water ecosystems caused by the build-up of agricultural fertilisers and sewage effluent, and mass collapse of coral reef ecosystems due to ocean acidification.
The UN warns that the death of large areas of the Amazon forest will affect regional rainfall and global climate, while eutrophication will kill fish on a massive scale and lead to losses of recreational amenities. At the same time, coral reef loss threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who are directly dependent on them for resources, the report notes.
The European Commission has announced that it is preparing new measures for 2011 to reflect the true cost of natural resources in products and services and substitute virgin raw materials for waste wherever possible (EurActiv 08/04/10)
Addressing indirect drivers of biodiversity loss
The report outlines a possible new strategy for reducing biodiversity loss.
It stresses the need to address "the underlying causes or indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, such as patterns of consumption, the impacts of increased trade and demographic change".
It also notes that ending harmful subsidies to destructive economic activity would be "an important step" in addressing the issue. EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik has also also suggested getting rid of environmentally harmful subsidies, particularly in the fields of agriculture, fisheries and forestry (EurActiv 24/03/10).
"Through regulation and other measures, markets can and must be harnessed to create incentives to safeguard and strengthen, rather than to deplete, our natural infrastructure," reads the study. For the UN, the re-structuring of economies and financial systems following the global recession provides a timely opportunity for such changes to be made.
The strategy also draws attention to the need for much greater efficiency in the use of land, energy, fresh water and materials to meet growing demand.
Recognisingitsfailure to deliver ona target of halting biodiversity loss in the EUby 2010, the European Commission tabled policy options for a new 2020 target in January. The optionsrange from scaling down previousambitions to stepping up theEU'scontribution to halting global biodiversity loss (EurActiv 20/01/10).
Biodiversity Summit
According to the UN, the report will be a driver of discussions by world leaders and heads of state at a special global Biodiversity Summit in the Japanese city of Nagoya in October.
The summit is expected to outline a new global vision for biodiversity post-2010.