IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Virtually all environmental problems have an economic component, and many are driven by market imperfections. While it is unrealistic to ever expect perfect markets, IUCN seeks to better inform market decisions, helping to ensure that the full impacts of economic decisions on ecosystems are well understood (and quantified where possible). If decision makers are better informed about the full implications of their decisions, and the public is well informed about these implications, then economic policies are more likely to support sustainable development and the biodiversity upon which human well-being depends.

Today’s economies generally fail to support the sustainable management of ecosystems, primarily because the full value of biodiversity is not taken into account. Despite significant progress in many countries, much work remains to be done to widen the incorporation of environmental values and related livelihood concerns in economic policy, markets and finance, particularly with respect to biodiversity, intangible ecosystem services and poverty reduction. A related priority is to develop new sources of finance for biodiversity conservation, together with improved allocation mechanisms to ensure more cost-effective and more equitable conservation.

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