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Valuing biodiversity in Important Plant Areas (IPAs)

IPAs and TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity)

The TEEB initiative was set up to ensure that biodiversity and ecosystems are properly ‘valued’ and not ignored within conventional economics and in planning decisions. They provide case studies and examples aimed at a range of audiences (policy makers, business, civil society) which demonstrate the economic value of conserving and restoring species and habitats and the many unrecognised ecosystem services which they provide, including carbon capture, flooding control, provision of drinking water and clean air.

We hope to use the TEEB methodology to demonstrate the many undervalued ecosystem services and undervalued economic importance of IPAs to promote their conservation and restoration.

IPAs & Rural Development

Conservation of IPAs starts with the communities that live, work and manage the land where the IPAs are found. Providing effective models of sustainable rural development that provides benefit to both local livelihoods and plant conservation will be at the heart of any efforts to conserve and restore these areas.

Initiatives such as the High Nature Value (Farmland) programme to identify and preserve areas of biodiversity rich farmland has the potential to improve rural livelihoods and wild plant conservation if funds are targeted effectively. A truly reformed EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) also has the potential to provide support to local communities who farm with biodiversity friendly methods, but as always the implementation on the ground will be key to success.

Plantlife International will work with partners in selected regions to develop sustainable models of improving local livelihoods and to promote successful examples that are being implemented in other regions, such as the ADEPT programme and the Arnica montana Programme in Romania, and the promotion of standards such as the FairWild Standard for harvesting of wild products.