Investment in Brazil 'should consider biodiversity'
Date added: 25th October, 2010 at 14:13
(view all articles from October, 2010)
Categories: Economy, Natural Resources
Brazil's government has welcomed the publication of a new study that calls on businesses and policymakers to recognise the "enormous economic value" of biodiversity to jobs, health and security.
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) report, which has been carried out over the past two years, said considering the impact of development on natural resources has to be embedded at every level of decision making in the public and private sectors.
It calls for governments to push the principles of "net positive impact" and "no net loss" as standard practice for companies, while also using "polluter pays" legislation to create incentives to pursue sustainable growth.
TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev said "ignoring" biodiversity is no longer an option for both developing and emerging economies.
Braulio Dias, Brazil's secretary for biodiversity and forests, said as one of the world's plant and wildlife "hotspots", his country recognises that "the era of the invisibility of the value of nature must end".
He added the government would be carrying out an audit of its "natural capital" and would push for businesses to adopt a similar approach in their decision making.
The TEEB study comes after the WWF said demands on natural resources have doubled since 1966 and are now 50 per cent over sustainable levels.
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