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  • Publication | 2021

The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review

Biodiversity

This is an independent, global review on the Economics of Biodiversity by Professor Partha Dasgupta (Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge). It was commissioned in 2019 by HM Treasury (UK) and supported by an Advisory Panel drawn from public policy, science, economics, finance and business. It calls for changes in how we think, act and measure economic success to protect and enhance our prosperity and the natural world. Grounded in a deep understanding of ecosystem processes and how they are affected by economic activity, the new framework presented by the Review sets out how we should account for Nature in economics and decision-making.

The Review includes several sections that are relevant to trade and biodiversity, including a chapter on Trade and the Biosphere, which reviews the recent empirical literature on the impacts of trade on biodiversity and discusses possible actions in the context of trade practices and policies to support a shift towards sustainability.

The Review includes also a chapter on Finance for Sustainable Engagement with Nature, which discusses the mechanisms through which finance from public and private sources can support biodiversity, and the existing limitations.