REUTERS - The U.N. Environment Programme says the natural world provides services, such as crop pollination and protection against natural disasters, worth trillions of dollars a year but many economies fail to take this into account.In a report released on Monday, it said restructuring of the global economy after the financial crisis provided an opportunity to introduce regulation and market incentives to help stem biodiversity losses and conserve natural ecosystems.Following are examples given by the UNEP:* Planting and protecting nearly 12,000 hectares of mangroves in Vietnam cost just over $1 million but saved annual expenditure on dyke maintenance of over $7 million.* In Venezuela, investment in a national protected area is preventing sedimentation that would reduce farm earnings by about $3.5 million a year.* In sub-Saharan Africa, invasive witchweed is responsible for annual maize losses of $7 billion.* Annual losses as a result of deforestation and forest degradation equate to between $2 trillion and $4.5 trillion. These could be prevented with an investment of $45 billion.* Action to promote conservation and sustainable use of natural resources receives a tiny fraction of funding compared to promoting infrastructure and industrial development.* Governments must make biodiversity a significant, mainstream factor in decisions across all departments.UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: "The arrogance of humanity is that somehow we imagine we can get by without biodiversity or that it is somehow peripheral. The truth is we need it more than ever on a planet of six billion people heading to over nine billion by 2050."(For the full report, click http://www.cbd.int/GBO3)(Editing by Angus MacSwan)News posted by www.newsinfoline.com
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