Towards a Sustainable and Genuinely Green Economy. the Value and Social Significance of Ecosystem Services in Finland (TEEB for Finland) Synthesis and Roadmap
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THE FINNISH ENVIRONMENT 1en | 2015 Towards A Sustainable and Genuinely T This report presents the results from the research project National Assessment of OWARDS NATURAL RESOURCES the Economics of Ecosystem Services in Finland (TEEB Finland) – Synthesis and Roadmap, Green Economy. The value and social financed by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. This pioneering project aimed to significance of ecosystem services in initiate a systematic national process for the integration of ecosystem services and A S related biodiversity (i.e. natural capital) into all levels of decision-making. TEEB for GREEN AND GENUINELY USTAINABLE Finland (TEEB for Finland) Finland was carried out according to the models of previous international TEEB studies (e.g. TEEB Nordic) and alongside the EU’s MAES project (Mapping and Assessment of Synthesis and roadmap Ecosystems and their Services). Jukka-Pekka Jäppinen and Janne Heliölä (eds.) The results of TEEB for Finland (2013–2014) help to support the Ministry of the Environment and other national decision-makers in identifying the value and social significance of ecosystem services. The study has produced information and knowledge for the implementation of the Finnish National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2013–2020 ’Saving Nature for People’, and for the reporting of national actions connected to the Convention of Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy 2020, and their obligations regarding ecosystem services and natural capital. E CONOMY THE F INNISH ENVIRONMENT 1 INNISH ENVIRONMENT ISBN 978-952-11-4339-7 (pbk.) en | 2015 ISBN 978-952-11-4376-2 (PDF) ISSN 1238-7312 (print) ISSN 1796-1637 (online) MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT THE FINNISH ENVIRONMENT 1en | 2015 Towards A Sustainable and Genuinely Green Economy. The value and social significance of ecosystem services in Finland (TEEB for Finland) Synthesis and roadmap Jukka-Pekka Jäppinen and Janne Heliölä (eds.) Helsinki 2015 MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT THE FINNISH ENVIRONMENT 1en | 2015 Ministry of the Environment Department of the Natural Environment Page layout: Marianne Laune Cover photo: Image bank of the Environmental Administration / Jutta Kuure The publication is available on the internet: www.ym.fi/julkaisut Edita Prima Oy, Helsinki 2015 ISBN 978-952-11-4339-7 (nid.) ISBN 978-952-11-4376-2 (PDF) ISSN 1238-7312 (pain.) ISSN 1796-1637 (verkkoj.) FOREWORD Natural capital constitutes the foundation for human well-being and is a key asset for economic prosperity. Nature provides a range of goods and services, commonly referred to as ecosystem services, whose economic value for many reasons has thus far been invisible and therefore a major cause of their undervaluation and mismanage- ment. The international study on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity – known as TEEB – raised the level of knowledge in this regard and emphasized the need to both incorporate natural capital into standard national accounting and develop indicators integrating biodiversity and economic considerations more consistently. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets are the major tools for integrating ecosystem services and related biodiversity into the development work on national and regional levels, through updating of existing national biodiversity strategies and action plans. Finland has adopted the revised National Biodiversity Strategy (2012) and Action Plan (2013) in line with the CBD decisions agreed in Nagoya 2010. The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020 aims at protecting biodiversity for its intrinsic value and refers to the maintenance of ecosystems and their services and contributes, among other things, to the EU’s sustainable growth objectives and to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, while promoting the economy and social cohesion and safeguarding the EU’s cultural heritage. TEEB assessments have shown that there is still scattered understanding of the economic and social importance of ecosystem services and related biodiversity. How- ever, these assessments are providing an approach that can help decision-makers recognize and capture the values of natural capital. The TEEB Nordic study (2013) concluded that a range of ecosystem services are of high socio-economic significance for the Nordic countries, either based on their market value or an estimated value for the broader public. The main challenge is to integrate the values of natural capital into sectoral policies and decision-making. The TEEB for Finland study1, carried out in 2013–2014, provides, among other things, preliminary estimates on the economic importance of some key ecosystem services in Finland. The main focus is on so far under-recognized regulating and cultural services, but not forgetting traditional provisioning services, the value of which has traditionally been recognised due to their vital importance for the Finnish economy and society. TEEB for Finland also describes the main drivers and future trends affecting the provision of ecosystem services; gives suggestions for ecosystem service indicators; and describes as an example the spatial assessment and mapping of ecosystem services and green infrastructure in the Helsinki–Uusimaa region. Further, the study also considers possible elements for improving the regulatory and manage- ment system that could enable securing the future provisioning of ecosystem services and their foundation – the biological diversity of Finland. TEEB for Finland includes a scoping assessment on natural capital accounting and a review of the relationship between ecosystem services and a green economy. 1 Towards a Sustainable and Genuinely Green Economy – The Value and Social Significance of Ecosystem Services in Finland (TEEB Finland). Finland has been at the forefront in working with environmental indicators, ac- countings and models. It was therefore easy for us to continue the work and examine what the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity encompass, including the lessons learnt in a Finnish context. A comprehensive set of national ecosystem service indi- cators are currently being developed with a view to monitoring and indicating the status and value of these services. These indicators play a key role in enhancing the integration of natural capital into the Finnish national accounting systems. Conse- quently, the future work on natural capital accounting in Finland is foreseen to focus on more closely aligning the ongoing work on indicators with the existing framework of national and environmental-economic accounts. Ecosystem services are an integral part of a number of economic sectors relevant to a green economy in Finland, namely, the forest sector, water, tourism, agriculture and food sector, game and fisheries, and renewable energy. In addition, ecosystem services are perceived as an integral part of growing green economy sectors such as life and health style business, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The integration of a whole range of ecosystem services into a green economy helps to ensure that the green economy is both environmentally and socially sustainable. However, in order to achieve the synergies between the management of ecosystem services and related biodiversity, they need to be secured in both investment and management decisions in a holistic way. Marked-based measures also complement the existing arsenal of measures and provide ways to achieve the aim of ecosystem services and their underlying objectives of biodiversity conservation. We can also perceive the links between biodiversity and human health and well-be- ing. Considering ecosystem services in policy-making can improve natural resource and land use planning, save financial costs, boost innovative enterprises and other job-creating actions, and enhance sustainable livelihoods nationally, regionally and globally. I sincerely hope that this TEEB for Finland study will encourage many other coun- tries to launch new findings in the field of ecosystem services and human well-being. I also hope that scientific expertise on biodiversity and that of different stakeholders will steadfastly take account of biodiversity and ecosystem services in decision-mak- ing processes. The future of our planet and our societies depends on it. Sanni Grahn-Laasonen Minister of the Environment, Finland 4 The Finnish Environment 1en | 2015 Referencing the publication: Jäppinen, J.-P. & Heliölä, J. (eds.) 2015: Towards a sustainable and genuinely green economy. The value and social significance of ecosystem services in Finland (TEEB for Finland). Synthesis and roadmap. The Finnish Environment 1en/2015. The Finnish Ministry of Environment, Hel- sinki. 144 p. Suggested reference for separate section: Borgström, S. & Similä, J. 2015: Integration of ecosystem services into decision making. In: Jäppinen, J.-P. & Heliölä, J. (eds.), Towards a sustainable and genuinely green econ- omy. The value and social significance of ecosystem services in Finland (TEEB for Finland). Synthesis and roadmap. The Finnish Environment 1en/2015. The Finnish Ministry of Environment, Helsinki. p. 73–80. List of participating authors: MTT Agrifood Research Finland Heini Ahtiainen Janne Artell Tuija Lankia Eija Pouta Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Anni Ahokumpu Katriina Alhola Riina Antikainen Ari-Pekka Auvinen Martin Forsius Vuokko Heikinheimo Janne Heliölä Maria Holmberg Pekka Itkonen Jukka-Pekka Jäppinen Vladimir Kekez Leena Kopperoinen