A new United Nations report, presented during the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Hyderabad (India), points to the need to make hundreds of billions of dollars available for the conservation of biodiversity worldwide.

Preserving habitats, species and natural resources requires urgent measures to prevent their disappearance, according to the report, which indicates that this is a small amount compared to the high costs of biodiversity destruction, such as water scarcity, decreased productivity in agriculture, etc. climate change or the disappearance of fish populations.

For Pavan Sukhdev, economist and lead author of the research, the benefits “will go beyond biodiversity itself, they will also have an impact on human health, quality of life and sustainable development based on a healthier and safer environment”.

This study aims to be an impetus for the transformation of government structures and institutions to ensure that biodiversity is taken into account in decision-making. In this regard, Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, stressed that “the money indicated in the report should be seen more as an investment than as a cost, because it not only preserves ecosystems, but also promotes the generation of employment and the conservation of natural resources”.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been collaborating with more than 140 countries by advising on policies and programmes for the correct management of biodiversity, ensuring the conservation of ecosystems, vital for human and social well-being.