Canada has a lot to gain by protecting its fishing stock and boreal forests, report says
 
Protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity is worth trillions of dollars in annual economic benefits around the planet, says a new report released on Friday by the United Nations.

From improving food and water security to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the report -- The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity -- says money invested in protecting the planet's forests and natural systems is the best long-term solution for both the economy and the environment.

"We are running down our natural capital stock without understanding the value of what we are losing," said the report, released by the UN Environment Program. "The degradation of soils, air, water and biological resources can negatively impact on public health, food security, consumer choice and business opportunities."

A lead author of the report, Pavan Sukhdev, said Canadians also stand to benefit from doing more to protect resources such as fishing stock and the boreal forest.

"We must get this going as something that is cheap, effective and everyone can do this," said Sukhdev.

For example, Sukhdev said protecting forests can be more efficient and accessible than exploring new technologies to capture greenhouse gas emissions and bury them underground.

"The technology of planting trees or replanting forests is thankfully free, and it has no side-effects," said Sukhdev, who also leads the UN Environment Program's Green Economy Initiative. "It's powerful, it's effective and it's time tested. We just have to get people's mindsets changed to start using these natural technologies that are available."

Overall, Sukhdev said annual benefits of protecting areas in land are worth up to $5 trillion per year, while protected fishing areas are essential to preserving fishing stocks and even improving profits and revenues for the industry. He added that investments to protect ecosystems can be worth 25 to 100 times more in benefits from the natural services they provide.

Some cities, such as Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Melbourne, New York and Jakarta, also rely on protected areas for drinking water, saving costs on public treatment plants, the report said.

An analysis of Lake St. Clair, near Windsor, Ont., also revealed benefits of more than $10,000 per hectare of protected areas on its eastern shore.

"It's pretty clear that the benefit to society from keeping those marshes intact is greater than the private earnings from clearing or draining them," said Aaron Bruner, another author of the UN report.

Although the report focuses on the importance and benefits of investing to protect forests in developing countries, particularly in international climate negotiations next month at a major summit in Copenhagen, Sukhdev said that Canadians will have an important role to play in achieving the right solutions.
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