Economic Alarm: Nature’s Loss Carries Bigger Price Tag Than Estimated

Researchers suggest that governments adopt a novel approach to quantify the benefits of preserving biodiversity and natural environments for future generations.

The method can be used by governments in cost-benefit analyses for public infrastructure projects, in which the loss of animal and plant species and ‘ecosystem services’ – such as filtering air or water, pollinating crops or the recreational value of a space – are converted into a current monetary value.

This process is designed to make biodiversity loss and the benefits of nature conservation more visible in political decision-making.