Environmental destruction can cost trillions of euros

For the first time, there was an international calculation of the consequences of environmental destruction. The price for natural devastation by 2050 can be up to 2 trillion euros.

Moral arguments for natural protection are many. But so far there has been a lack of concrete calculations into money for biodiversity loss. Mr. Pavan Sukhdev - Head of Deutsche Bank's Global Market (German Bank) - is trying to fill this gap, in the role that G8 nations assign.

The latest calculation results he just published at the conference on biodiversity protection took place in Bonn in the past two weeks.

Accordingly, if continued deforestation, the gross domestic product by the year 2050 of the world will be less than 6% compared to the case of forest conservation - equivalent to 2 trillion euros. If the loss of biodiversity continues until 2050, the loss value will correspond to a 7% reduction in consumption worldwide.

According to Sukhdev, the cost to build and maintain a system to protect all ecosystems worldwide is around $ 45 billion annually. But the profit from this system brings up to 4.4 to 5.2 trillion dollars. In particular, the nature conservation area in developing countries is 10 times cheaper than in industrialized countries.

The regulation of marine protected areas accounting for 20% of the total marine area will make the fishing industry lose $ 270 million annually. At the same time, due to avoiding excessive fishing, it is possible to secure income from fishing in the long term of 70 to 80 billion USD per year.

The tourism industry earns more than $ 1 billion annually through whale watching tourists.(Photo: DPA)

Visitors spend 2.3 million euros annually on the Isle of Mull in Scotland to see sea eagles.(Photo: DPA)

Some data from Mr. Sukhdev's report:

- The value of mangrove forests and wetlands to protect the coast in the US is $ 1,000 per hectare, in Malaysia is $ 845 per hectare.

- The pollination of natural bees for coffee is valued at US $ 361 per hectare.

- The value of Masoala National Park in Madagascar for pharmaceutical production, erosion control, tourism and forestry is 11 million USD. In addition, there is 105 million USD for garden CO2 absorption.

- In Uganda there has been a conflict because nature conservation means losing the income of the local people. Currently, 20% of the income generated from those protected areas is passed on to the people of the neighboring villages, through which they care about protecting biodiversity.

- Costa Rica is developing a method of valuation using natural reserves to ask for financial help. The cost of protecting nature reserves will be covered by this amount.