Beijing/Nairobi, 30 March 2005 - The value of the world’s forests, wetlands, coral reefs and other ecosystems for fighting poverty and delivering sustainable development is spotlighted today in an international report.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment makes the case that ecosystems and the services they provide are financially significant and that to degrade and damage them is tantamount to economic suicide, said Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Assessment, in which UNEP has played a key role, makes it clear that humankind is running down its ‘natural capital’.

It argues that the loss of natural services, such as the purification of the air and water, protection from disasters and provision of medicines, as a result of damaged and degraded ecosystems have become a significant barrier in the quest to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Some Highlights

The report, the work of over 1,300 experts, claims that intact and healthy ecosystems are often worth more than altered, damaged and degraded ones.

Wetlands are important habitats for fish, birds and plants. They are also natural water pollution filters and water storage facilities. They also have high recreational value.

The report claims that an intact wetland, in this case in Canada, is worth $6,000 a hectare whereas one that has been cleared for intensive agriculture is worth only around $2,000 a hectare.

The 3,000 hectare Muthurajawela Marsh in Sri Lanka, a coastal peat bog, is valued at $5 million a year for the flood control services it provides locally.

The burning of 10 million hectares of Indonesia’s forests in the late 1990s, cost an estimated $9 billion in increased health care, lost production and lost tourism revenues, says the report.

Eric Falt
Spokesman/Director
UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information
Tel: 254 20 623292
E-mail: eric.falt@unep.org  

Nick Nuttall
UNEP Head of Media
Tel: 254 20 623084
Mobile : 254 (0) 733 632755
E-Mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org