INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

THE MILLENNIUM

ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT

Dr Sriyanie Miththapala

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THE LINKS BETWEEN

BIODIVERSITY,

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND

HUMAN WELL-BEING

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

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SOME TERMINOLOGY

• Biodiversity.

• Ecosystem.

• Ecosystem services.

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

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BIODIVERSITY

• Biodiversity is the variety and variability of

all life and life processes on earth.

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ECOSYSTEM

• a unit formed of groups of organisms that

interact with each other and with their

physical environment.

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WHY IS BIODIVERSITY (INCLUDING

ECOSYSTEMS) IMPORTANT TO

HUMANS?

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BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE US WITH

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• Ecosystem services are the range of

benefits that ecosystems provide

humans.

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ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• Provisioning services,

• Regulating services,

• Supporting services, and

• Cultural services

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Provisioning services

• Food

• Wood

• Medicines

• Fuelwood and fuel

• Fibre

• Non-timber forest products etc.

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Therefore, natural resources forms the

basis for

• Livestock industry,

• Agricultural industry,

• Fisheries industry,

• Timber industry,

• Pharmaceutical industry,

• Many livelihoods.

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Regulating services such as

• Climate regulation

• Flood regulation

• Water purification

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Supporting services such as

• Food production,

• Balancing gases in the atmosphere,

• Formation of soil,

• Degradation of waste,

• Nutrient and water cycling and

• Pollination.

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Cultural services such as

• Spiritual enrichment

• Education

• Recreation

• Aesthetic experience

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The bottom line is that without the

biodiversity and ecosystem services

• We can’t live and

• Most of us won’t have jobs.

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The Millennium Ecosystem assessment

(MA)

• In 2000, Kofi Annan called for a scientific

assessment of the state of the Earth.

• 1,300 scientists from 94 countries

participated.

• They put human well-being at the centre

of this assessment on ecosystems.

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The benefits that humans obtain from

ecosystem services

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And related it directly to human well-being.

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Ecosystem Services and Human Well-being

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Ecosystem well-being = Human well-being

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This is the link that underpins all DRR

work and sustainable development.

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STATE OF THE PLANET (MA findings):

• Over the past 50 years, humans have

changed ecosystems more rapidly and

extensively than in any comparable

period of time in human history.

• This has resulted in a substantial and

largely irreversible loss in biodiversity.

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• 20% of the world’s coral reefs were lost

and 20% degraded in the last several

decades.

• 35% of mangrove area has been lost in

the last several decades.

• Withdrawals from rivers and lakes

doubled since 1960.

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• Flows of biologically available nitrogen in

terrestrial ecosystems doubled,

phosphorous tripled.

• Humans have increased the species

extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times

over background rates typical over the

planet’s history.

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• This means that ecosystem services are being affected negatively.

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STATUS OF PROVISIONING SERVICES

Service Status

Food crops

livestock

capture fisheries

aquaculture

wild foods

Fiber timber +/–

cotton, silk +/–

wood fuel

Genetic resources

Biochemicals, medicines

Fresh water

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STATUS OF OTHER SERVICESStatus

Regulating Services

Air quality regulation

Climate regulation – global

Climate regulation – regional and local

Water regulation +/–

Erosion regulation

Water purification and waste treatment

Disease regulation +/–

Pest regulation

Pollination

Natural hazard regulation

Cultural Services

Spiritual and religious values

Aesthetic values

Recreation and ecotourism +/–

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THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF THESE

SERVICES

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Market value of provisioning-service

industries

• Food production: $980 billion per year.

• Timber industry: $400 billion per year.

• Marine fisheries: $80 billion per year.

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OTHER ECONOMIC VALUES OF

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• 500 million people depend on coral reefs for

their livelihoods.

• In India, forests provide water regulation and

flood control valued at 72 billion USD per year.

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But at the same time,

• Ecosystems and their services are being

constantly changed by human activities.

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Human Well-being

• Basic materials for a

good life

•Health

•Good social relations

•Security

•Freedom of choice

and action

Indirect drivers of change

•Demographic

•Economic

•Sociopolitical

•Science and technology

•Culture and religion

Direct drivers of change

•Changes in land use

•Species introduction or removal

•Technology adaptation and use

•External inputs (irrigation)

•Resource consumption

•Climate change

•Natural hazards

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Negative change: threats to ecosystem well-

being

• What are the threats to ecosystems?

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• Overexploitation

• Habitat destruction

• Pollution

• Invasive alien species

• Climate Change

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OVEREXPLOITATION

• Will affect food security

• Health

• Shelter

• Personal security

• Livelihoods etc.

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Habitat destruction

• Deforestation and destruction of wetlands.

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HABITAT DESTRUCTION

• Will affect personal security

• Health

• Shelter

• Personal security

• Livelihoods etc.

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Pollution

• Solid waste pollution

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Water Pollution

• Sewage

• Other domestic pollution

• Industrial pollution

• Marine pollution: engine oil, oil spills.

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Air pollution

• Carbon Dioxide – climate change

• Methane – climate change

• Nitrogen – Acid rain

• Sulphur dioxide – Acid rain

• Soot and particulate matter – lung disease.

• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – hole in the ozone layer, increase in skin cancer

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Pollution will lead to

• Water stress

• Increase in disease, affecting health

• Decrease in livelihoods

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Invasive Alien Species

• Are introduced species that do not

remain confined to the area into which

they were introduced.

• They become established in natural

ecosystems and threaten native species.

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Invasive Alien Species cause enormous

economic damage

• Annual damage from IAS in the USA is

137 billion USD.

• Rabbits in Australia cost the government

60 million AUD.

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IAS

• Can cause water stress

• Can increase in disease, affecting health

• Can negatively affect livelihoods

• Can negatively affect food security.

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Climate change

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Of the many impacts of climate change,

the increase in natural disasters is a major

one. In 2005, natural disasters caused 220

billion USD worth of damage.

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Climate change

• Will make a bad situation worse.

• Will have a synergistic effect on all other

threats.

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THE CONCLUSIONS

• We are damaging ecosystems irreversibly.

• This means that the services that

ecosystems provide us are also damaged.

• This means that human well-being is also

affected.

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THEREFORE, WHENEVER WE CARRY

OUT ANY PROGRAMMES WE HAVE TO

ASK

• Are we harming ecosystems and their

services?

• If we are, we are harming human-well being.

• If we are, we are harming long term

sustainability.

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WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES

•Are we over-exploiting natural resources?

• Is there habitat destruction?

• Is there pollution?

•Are Invasive alien speciesspreading?

•Are we taking precautions against climate change?

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Very simple foundation that we are proposing

Are there threats to ecosystems from our actions:

–Overexploitation

–Habitat Destruction

–Pollution

– IAS

–Climate change

Ecosystem well-being = Human well-being

Therefore, if ecosystems are negatively affected,

Human well-being is also negatively affected.

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Superimpose this base on the DM cycle

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• Step 1: Identify clearly where temporary shelters will be put up in the event of a natural disaster (prevent Habitat destruction)

– Ensure that environmentally sensitive areas are not cleared in the event of a disaster.

– Ensure that protected areas are not encroached up in the event of a disaster.

– Ensure that coastal morphology is not changed when temporary shelters are set up in the event of a disaster.

• Step 2: Identify the sources from which natural resources such as timber and fuelwood will be obtained in the event of a disaster (Prevent over-exploitation) .

– Ensure that timber is not sourced illegally but instead, obtained from sustainably managed forests.

– Ensure that fuelwood will not be obtained illegally from protected areas.

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ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS

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• We emphasise that policy decisions and actions taken

during prevention and mitigation (BEFORE) have

enormous and far reaching impacts on all stages of

post disaster management.

• All decisions and actions taken after a disaster will be

justified based on information gathered and actions

taken during the pre-disaster phases of prevention and

mitigation.

• Therefore, the success of post disaster management

depends entirely on pre-disaster management.

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DISASTER

MANAGEMENT

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL

SAFEGUARDS