AUTHOR: Patrick ten Brink

TEEB for Policy Makers is a report for national and international policy makers on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity. It looks at the global biodiversity crisis, the ecological, economic and human dimensions of the crisis and the related policy challenge. The report looks at the response in two parts. First it is critical to measure what we manage. There is a need improve indicators and national accounts so that they take the value of biodiversity into account, and ensure that the values of biodiversity are understood and integrated into policy assessments. Secondly the report deals with the available policy instrument solutions for a better stewardship of natural capital. This looks at rewarding benefits through payments and markets, reforming subsidies and addressing losses through regulation and pricing. In addition, investment in ecological infrastructure is important, both in protected area networks and more widely, including restoration of degraded infrastructure. A mix of the approaches is needed and one that depends on national contexts; practical examples of what works in countries across the world, presented throughout the report, offer options for solutions.