New research from a global team, including Natural Capital Project scientists at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, Cornell University, and Conservation International demonstrates how nature conservation contributes to human wellbeing at local and global scales and maps the ecosystems that are not only essential to the nearby local communities, but contribute to the well-being of every person on the planet.
Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, this work shows that conserving 30 percent of the Earth’s land and 24 percent of coastal waters would sustain 90 percent of nature’s current contribution to people in every country. This vital support delivered by nature has enormous cultural and economic value by providing food, drinking water, protection from hazards, mental and physical well-being, and many other priceless benefits.
Read the full paper here.