Nature is the source of life. Human wellbeing depends largely on the benefits that ecosystems provide. Services such as water purification, soil fertility, pollination and erosion prevention – to name
just a few – are essential for food production, climate change adaptation and the protection of infrastructure and human settlements from extreme weather events. Yet society and policies often fail to
recognize the value of nature’s services, meaning that they are under-emphasised or even ignored
altogether in decision-making. As a result, biodiversity and ecosystems are being degraded worldwide, jeopardizing their capacity to render key services. Restoring ecosystems or substituting their
natural services is expensive or, in many cases, impossible.