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The loss of ecosystems and the biodiversity underpinning them
is a challenge to us all. But a particular challenge for the world’s
poor and thus for the attainment of the UN’s Millennium De-
velopment Goals.
Wetlands provide services of near USD 7 trillion every year. Forest-
ed wetlands treat more wastewater per unit of energy and have up
to 22 fold higher cost-benefit ratios than traditional sand filtration
in treatment plants. Many of the world’s key crops such as coffee,
tea and mangoes are dependent on the pollination and pest con-
trol services of birds and insects. By some estimates projected loss
of ecosystem services could lead to up to 25 % loss in the world’s
food production by 2050 increasing the risks of hunger. The loss
of mangroves, wetlands and forests increases vulnerability and is
a contributory factor as to why as many as 270 million people an-
nually are being affected by natural disasters. Ecosystems, such as
sea-grasses; tidal marshes and tropical forests, are also important
in removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere: their steady
decline may accelerate climate change and aggravate further coun-
tries and communities’ vulnerability to its impacts.
It is high time that governments systematically factored not
only ecosystem management but also restoration into national
and regional development plans.
This report is a contribution to the UN’s International Year of
Biodiversity and is a complement to the UNEP-hosted Econom-
ics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) which is bringing
visibility to the wealth of the world’s natural capital. It docu-
ments over 30 successful case studies referencing thousands
of restoration projects ranging from deserts and rainforests to
rivers and coasts. The report confirms that restoration is not
only possible but can prove highly profitable in terms of public
savings; returns and the broad objectives of overcoming pov-
erty and achieving sustainability. It also provides important rec-
ommendations on how to avoid pitfalls and how to minimize
risks to ensure successful restoration.
Dead planet, living planet: Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
for sustainable development
is part of UNEP’s evolving work on
the challenges but also the inordinate opportunities from a
transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy.
The ability of six billion people, rising to over nine billion by
2050, to thrive let alone survive over the coming decades will
in part depend on investments in renewable energies to effi-
cient mobility choices such as high speed rail and bus rapid
transport systems. But as this report makes clear, it will equally
depend on maintaining; enhancing and investing in restoring
ecological infrastructure and expanding rather than squander-
ing the planet’s natural capital.
Achim Steiner
UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director
PREFACE
Ecosystems, from forests and freshwater to coral reefs and soils, deliver essential services
to humankind estimated to be worth over USD 72 trillion a year – comparable to World
Gross National Income. Yet in 2010, nearly two-thirds of the globe’s ecosystems are con-
sidered degraded as a result of damage, mismanagement and a failure to invest and re-
invest in their productivity, health and sustainability.
Restoration is not only possible but
can prove highly profitable in terms
of public savings; returns and the
broad objectives of overcoming
poverty and achieving sustainability