Investing in Nature provides huge returns

Evidence keeps on piling : investing in Nature and the environment is perhaps one of the best thing you can do, not only for Mankind as a whole but also for yourself as Return On Investments (ROI) are high.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) issued a report which according to the BBC shows that “money ploughed into protecting wetlands, coral reefs and forests can bring a hundredfold return on capital.”

Literally more profitable than investing in gold or in any other business environmental protection could well become  a major economic sector in the next decade.

As the press release notes :

Policy-makers who factor the planet’s multi-trillion dollar ecosystem services into their national and international investment strategies are likely to see far higher rates of return and stronger economies in the 21st century, a new report issued today says.

Some countries have already made the link to a limited extent and are glimpsing benefits in terms of jobs, livelihoods and economic returns that outstrip those wedded to older economic models of the previous century.

(…) The new report, prepared by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative hosted by the UN Environment Programme, calls on policy-makers to accelerate, scale-up and embed investments in the management and restoration of ecosystems.

It also calls for more sophisticated cost benefit analysis before policy-decisions are made.

(…) The report outlines a ten-point plan aimed at catalyzing a transition to more ecosystem savvy economies able to meet the multiple challenge and deliver the multiple opportunities on a planet of six billion people, rising to nine billion by 2050.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Friday 13 November, Pavan Sukhdev, TEEB’s Study Leader, said: “Nature’s multiple and complex values have direct economic impacts on human well being and public and private spending. Recognizing and rewarding the value delivered to society by the natural environment must become a policy priority.

The economic invisibility of ecosystems and biodiversity is increased by our dominant economic model, which is consumption-led, production-driven, and GDP-measured. This model is in need of significant reform. The multiple crises we are experiencing – fuel, food, finance, and the economy – serve as reminders of the need for change.