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Government aims to secure the values of ecosystems – for welfare and business March 2014 INFORMATION SHEET People depend on ecosystem services such as clean air and water. These values are not listed on balance sheets. The Government wants to give visibility to and include the value of ecosystem services in community planning and business development in the Government Bill ’A Swedish strategy for biodiversity and ecosystem services’. instruments and in collaboration with industry to develop business models, innovations and standards. To strengthen this work, the Government intends to appoint a national coordinator for ecosystem services. The coordinator will enhance skills and increase the knowledge base on biodiversity and ecosystem services in industry, municipalities and other public authorities. The Bill presents the work on strengthening biodiversity and securing ecosystem services such as water purification, production of food and fibres, as well as recreation and outdoor activities. With this long-term platform, the Government is steering the work and is securing both the economic and the invaluable values of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Government wants to make it easier for companies to assess how much they depend on ecosystem services and make it easier for investors to get information about a company’s full value. Business opportunities that are directly linked to ecosystem services are found, for example, in agriculture, forestry, the pharmaceutical industry, fishing and tourism. Biodiversity must be strengthened to secure vital natural resources for the future Our planet has limited resources, and our well-being depends fundamentally on balanced biodiversity. The Government is now setting out the way forward for continued work at national level on strengthening biodiversity and securing ecosystem services – and, where possible, restoring them. Main content of the Bill Appointment of national coordinator The Bill presents measures for better integration of ecosystem services into economic decision-making, policy considerations and other decisions in society. For example, ecosystem services need to be included in environmental accounting, planning by public authorities, decisions on land use, the design of economic Five new targets for protection, enhanced environmental consideration and dialogue New milestone targets in the environmental objectives system will further strengthen efforts to protect nature and develop sustainable forestry. By protecting and preserving at least 20 per cent of land and freshwater areas and 10 per cent of marine areas by 2020, Sweden will contribute to achieving national and international targets for biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Government views the combination of formal and voluntary protection as a factor for success. When this is supplemented by enhanced environmental consideration in forestry, there are good prospects of securing the biodiversity and ecosystem services of Swedish forests. INFORMATION SHEET FROM THE SWEDISH MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT All actors that have an interest in the forest must also be involved in a process of dialogue on forests and their values. This includes financial, social and environmental values. A total of 10 milestone targets have been adopted for biodiversity and ecosystem services The milestone targets regarding: • Ecosystem services and resilience. • The importance of biodiversity and the value of ecosystem services. • Threatened species and habitat types. • Invasive alien species. • Knowledge about genetic diversity. • A holistic approach to the use of land. • The protection of land areas, freshwater areas and marine areas. • Environmental consideration in forestry. • Varied forestry. • A dialogue process in a national forestry programme. Regional action plans will be drawn up By drawing up regional action plans in cooperation between business operators, public authorities and non-governmental organisations, the foundation will be laid for a well-planned green infrastructure. The Government aims to secure the ecological links in nature. In that way pollinating insects for example will continue to be able to move between different meadow and field landscapes. What is an ecosystem service? Ecosystem services are services that ecosystems provide to human beings. They are fundamental to our welfare. These services gives us food and purify our water. They underlie the fertility of the land and contribute to clean air. Pollination is an example of ecosystem service. Many different insects pollinate plants and as a result we obtain fruit and berries, for example. It is important that the ecosystems and the services they give us also function in the context of climate changes and their environmental impacts. Facts On 13 March 2014 the Government adopted bill 2013/14:141 – “A Swedish strategy for biodiversity and ecosystem services”. This is the first government strategy presented in the area since 1993, the year after the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted at the UN conference on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Produced by: Ministry of the Environment Printed at: XBS Grafisk service Stockholm, March 2014 Article no. M2014.04 SE-103 33 Stockholm • Telephone +46 8 405 10 00 www.government.se/environment