This report reflects the key outcomes of the 24th PIRT Annual Meeting and is provided for the information of PIRT Members and Working groups as well as other interested organisations, partners and stakeholders.Call Number: [EL]Physical Description: 59 p.
Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being addressing the global biodiversity crisis still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever.
Protecting 30% of the world's land and sea outweigh the costs by a ratio of 5 to 1, according to a new report.
The world is facing severe challenges. Billions of people around the world are suffering the consequences of the climate emergency, food and water insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecosystems are an indispensable ally as we meet these challenges. Protecting them and managing their resources in a sustainable manner is essential. But just increasing the protection and sustainable management of our remaining natural landscapes and oceans will not be enough, the planet's degraded ecosystems and the huge benefits that they provide must also be restored.
Humanity is waging war on nature. This is senseless and suicidal. The consequences of our recklessness are already apparent in human suffering, towering economic losses and the accelerating erosion of life on Earth.
The sounds of nature could help us recover from mental fatigue, but this power may be under threat as ecosystems deteriorate and people disconnect from the natural world, according to new research published in the journal Global Environmental Change. Led by a team from the University of
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts : Climate change is a critical development challenge for the region. The key threats are sea level rise, saltwater intrusion of freshwater lenses and ocean acidification and their impact on people, water and food security, livelihoods, and the Pacific region’s biodiversity and culture. Climate induced mobility and migration across the region may be a required adaptation strategy; Goal 13 indicators still require development for effective monitoring to take place.
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development : The Blue Pacific continent contains and supports the most extensive and diverse coral reefs in the world, the largest tuna fishery, the deepest oceanic trenches and the healthiest and in some cases, largest remaining populations of many globally threatened species such as whales and dolphins, sea turtles, dugongs, sharks and stingrays; Goal 14 will monitor regional efforts in integrated and sustainable ocean management and conservation, adaptation, mitigation and biodiversity activities.
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss : Most countries in the region retain sizeable sections of forested area, although habitat loss continues to be a risk due to unsustainable logging practices and forest conversion for plantation and agricultural uses. Invasive species are the leading cause of species extinction on island ecosystems and can impact food and economic security.
From willow bark to mosquitoes, nature has been a source of vital medications for centuries.