Pricing Biodiversity: A Target and Cost-based Approach
Planetary constraints on biodiversity loss define the dimensions of a sustainable economy. Yet, despite the ambitious targets of recent international agreements (e.g. the Kunming-Montreal Agreement of the Convention on Biological Diversity) biodiversity remains in steep decline. One major reason for this trend is that the costs of biodiversity loss are not properly reflected in decision-making, either by private individuals, financial institutions, or government. In many cases biodiversity is invisible at the point of decision; at worst biodiversity loss is subsidised. There are limited resources to combat biodiversity decline and meet global commitments for biodiversity and habitat restoration, such as the targets of the Kunming-Montreal agreement of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the associated national level goals and targets . Therefore, a coherent approach is required to evaluating trade-offs between competing conservation priorities and conservation and other contributors to well-being such as health, education and climate change mitigation. We propose a Target-and-Cost-Based (TCB) approach in which the price of biodiversity reflects the cost of meeting a societally defined target for biodiversity restoration. By organising around an agreed target, the TCB approach provides a means to evaluate biodiversity-economy trade-offs using target compatible prices, while circumventing contested economic valuation approaches.
Date: 24 February 2025, 14:15
Venue: Manor Road Building, Manor Road OX1 3UQ
Venue Details: Seminar Room C
Speaker: Ben Groom (University of Exeter)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Part of: Environment and Resource Economics Seminar
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Edward Clark