TEEB – a study on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity was launched by Germany and the European Commission in response to a proposal by the G8+5 Environment Ministers (Potsdam, Germany 2007) to develop a global study on the economics of biodiversity loss. This independent study, led by Pavan Sukhdev, is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme with financial support from the European Commission, Germany and the UK, more recently joined by Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden.
TEEB draws together experience, knowledge and expertise from all regions of the world in the fields of science, economics and policy. Its aim is to guide practical policy responses to the growing evidence of the impacts of ongoing losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
As we approach the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010, the aim of this TEEB D1 Report is to highlight the relevance of our work to mainstream policy making. We show that the failure of markets to adequately consider the value of ecosystem services is of concern not only to environment, development and climate change ministries but also to finance, economics and business ministries. Evidence presented here shows pro-conservation choices to be a matter of economic common sense in the vast majority of cases.
TEEB is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and supported by the European Commission, the German Federal Environment Ministry and the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, recently joined by Norway’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and The Netherlands’ Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment.
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