Download Ecosystem Services - Convention on Biological Diversity

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Biodiversity Synthesis
Dr. Walter Reid,
Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment
Largest assessment ever undertaken of
biodiversity and the health of ecosystems
 Prepared by 1360 experts from
95 countries; extensive peer
review
 Consensus of the world’s
scientists – Similar to IPCC
 Called for by UN Secretary
General in 2000
 Information requested by
governments through the
Convention on Biological
Diversity as well as 3 other
international conventions
Global Assessment with information from
33 sub-global assessments
Key concepts: Biodiversity
The variability among living organisms from all
sources. This includes diversity within species,
between species, and of ecosystems
Key concepts: Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem
services are the
benefits people
obtain from
ecosystems
MA assessed the
condition of 24
ecosystem
services
Examined the consequences of ecosystem
change for human well-being
Human Well-being and
Poverty Reduction
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Basic material for a good life
Health
Good Social Relations
Human
Security
Freedom of choiceWell-being
and action
Indirect Drivers of Change
 Demographic
 Economic (globalization, trade,
market and policy framework)
 Sociopolitical (governance and
Indirect framework)
institutional
 Science
and Technology
Drivers
 Cultural and Religious
Direct Drivers of Change
Ecosystem
Life
on Earth:
Services
Biodiversity
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Changes in land use
Species
introduction or removal
Direct
Technology adaptation and use
Drivers
External
inputs (e.g., irrigation)
Resource consumption
Climate change
Natural physical and biological
drivers (e.g., volcanoes)
Four Working Groups
Condition
and Trends
Scenarios
 Given plausible
 What is the current
changes in primary
condition and
drivers, what will be
historical trends of
the consequences for
biodiversity and
ecosystems, their
ecosystem services?
services, and human
 What have been the
well-being?
consequences of
changes in ecosystems
for human wellbeing?
Sub-Global
Responses
 What can we do to
enhance well-being
and conserve
ecosystems?
 All of the above, at regional, national, local
scales
MA Scenarios
 Not predictions – scenarios are plausible
futures
 Both quantitative models and qualitative
analysis used in scenario development
Finding
Human actions are fundamentally, and to a
significant extent irreversibly, changing the
diversity of life on Earth, and most of these
changes represent a loss of biodiversity.
Changes in important components of biological
diversity were more rapid in the past 50 years than
at any time in human history. Projections and
scenarios indicate that these rates will continue, or
accelerate, in the future.
Unprecedented change: Ecosystems
 More land was
converted to cropland
in the 30 years after
1950 than in the 150
years between 1700 and
1850.
 20% of the world’s coral
reefs were lost and 20%
degraded in the last
several decades
 35% of mangrove area
has been lost in the last
several decades
 Amount of water in
reservoirs quadrupled
since 1960
Cultivated Systems in 2000 cover 25%
of Earth’s terrestrial surface
Unprecedented change: Ecosystems
 More than two thirds
of the area of two
biomes and more than
half of the area of four
others had been
converted by 1990
 Further 10–20% loss
of grassland and
forestland by 2050
Significant and largely irreversible
changes to species diversity
 Distribution of species is becoming more homogenous
 Population size or range (or both) of the majority of
species across a range of taxonomic groups is declining
Significant and largely irreversible
changes to species diversity
 Current extinction rate as
much as 1,000 times
higher than background
rates.
 10% to 50% of mammals,
birds, amphibians,
conifers, and cycads are
threatened with
extinction
 Expect loss of roughly
10–15% of plant species
as a result of habitat loss
over the period 1970–
2050 in the MA scenarios
Degradation and unsustainable use of
ecosystem services
Approximately 60% (15 out of 24) of the ecosystem services
evaluated in this assessment are being degraded or used
unsustainably
Degraded
Capture fisheries
Wild foods
Wood fuel
Genetic resources
Biochemicals
Fresh Water
Air quality regulation
Regional and local climate regulation
Erosion regulation
Water purification
Pest regulation
Pollination
Natural Hazard regulation
Spiritual and religious values
Aesthetic values
Enhanced
Crops
Livestock
Aquaculture
Carbon sequestration (in last 50 yrs)
Finding
The drivers of
biodiversity loss
and the drivers of
changes in
ecosystem
services are either
steady, show no
evidence of
declining over
time, or are
increasing in
intensity
Changes in direct drivers:
Nutrient Loading
Since 1960:
 Flows of biologically available
nitrogen in terrestrial
ecosystems doubled
 Flows of phosphorus tripled
> 50% of all the synthetic
nitrogen fertilizer ever used has
been used since 1985
Human-produced Reactive Nitrogen
Humans produce as much biologically
available N as all natural pathways and this
may grow a further 65% by 2050
Changes in direct drivers:
Climate Change
 By the end of the century,
climate change and its
impacts may be the
dominant direct driver of
biodiversity loss and
changes in ecosystem
services globally
 Harm to biodiversity will
grow worldwide with
increasing rates of change
in climate and increasing
absolute amounts of change
Climate Change
Visit www.MAweb.org and Island Press
Website
 All MA reports available to download
· General synthesis and Board statement now available
· Biodiversity synthesis, Desertification synthesis, Wetlands
synthesis, Business and Industry synthesis available over next 3-4
months
 Information on sub-global assessments
 Access to core data
 MA ‘outreach’ kit including PowerPoint slides
Island Press
 MA Technical Assessment Volumes
available September 2005
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State and Trends
Scenarios
Multi-Scale Assessments
Responses