Realising nature's value ecosystem markets task force final report March 2013

On 5^th March 2013, the Ecosystem Markets Task Force published its Final Report.

The report states the business case for why nature matters. It makes practical recommendations for both Government and business where interventions would assist in the creation and development of new markets, enhancing opportunities for growth that also benefit the environment.

The report affirms that business is often unaware of its true reliance on nature, and that a new approach is needed to maximise opportunities and manage future risks.

The Report highlights 5 ‘headline’ or priority recommendations, as follows:

1) Biodiversity Offsetting: securing net gain for nature from planning and development

2) Closing the loop: anaerobic digestion and bioenergy on farms

3) Local woodfuel supply chains: active sustainable management supporting local economies

4) Nature-based certification and labelling: connecting consumers with nature

5) Water cycle catchment management: integrating nature into water, waste water and flood management.

For each recommendation the Report highlights the size of the opportunity, both in terms of its economic value and its potential benefits to nature.

In arriving at these recommendations the Task Force has been looking for priorities that will deliver both opportunities to business and real gains to nature. As part of this process, a significant evidence base has been generated over the last year which has helped to inform Task Force thinking, including wide-ranging analysis of all the opportunity areas set out here.

Next steps

The Government will issue its official response to the Task Force’s report later this year. In the meantime Task Force members will continue to work with business leaders and organisations such as CBI, BITC and Cambridge Natural Capital Leaders Platform to get nature firmly onto business agendas. The Task Force would like to reconvene in one year’s time for a discussion with Government and other business leaders to assess progress since the Task Force’s report, and possible ways forward.

INTERIM REPORT NOVEMBER 2012

On 6th November 2012, the Ecosystem Markets Task Force published its Interim Report. The report sets out the aims of the Task Force, its emerging thinking on why nature should matter to business and the potential opportunities for business from valuing nature correctly.

The goods and services that nature provides, natural assets like water, crops, pollination and biodiversity underpin the success of every business. The increasing pressure on resources and our natural environment is already opening up fresh risks, but also potentially significant opportunities for business in brand new and developing markets.

The Task Force is focusing further work in the lead up to its final report into four areas, which it believes to have high value both for nature and business: (1) the water cycle; (2) the food cycle; (3) markets for carbon and nature; and (4), natural capital – resource scarcity and resilience.

In its final report, the Task Force will develop a set of recommendations for Government and business: setting out practical suggestions for business to pursue. It will make recommendations for Government where intervention would assist in the creation of new markets, enhancing opportunities for growth and the environment.

The Task Force would like to engage as many businesses and other stakeholders as possible to help shape the ‘business view’ to Government in this important area. In the coming weeks discussion papers on our four areas of focus will be available on this website.

The Final Report of the Task Force will be published in early 2013.

Click here to download the Ecosystem Markets Task Force – Interim Report.

UPDATE PAPER on the Task Force’s work July2012 – click here

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