A report from the UK National Ecosystem Assessment representing the views of 500 experts in ecology, economics and social sciences calculates the value to the economy of mountains, moors, woodland, lakes etc.
Rivers, lakes and other wetlands provide £1.5 billion of benefits in water quality. Living within sight of a green space creates £300 of health benefits per person per year. Insect pollinators are worth £430 million a year to British agriculture.
Professor Bob Watson, chief scientist at DEFRA, comments: “There is an urgent need to better manage our ecosystems and the natural resources they provide us with. But until now there has been no clear way of valuing the full range of benefits they provide beyond what we buy and sell.”
The authors stress the need for a collaborative approach to the environment, involving government, businesses, voluntary bodies and civil society. “The UK must also protect overseas environments in order to ensure its own economic prosperity.”