Download Government aims to secure the values of ecosystems – for welfare

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