Global socio-economic impacts of future changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services: State of play and approaches for new modelling

Ecosystems and the biodiversity that underpin them are our life support systems. But the impact of declining trends in biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) on economies and society is not well known outside the context of one-off local case studies. There is an urgent need to better understand and, importantly, to effectively communicate the importance of BES as foundational to the economic prosperity and wellbeing of current and future generations, the benefits of restoring and enhancing ecosystems, and the consequences of a business-as-usual approach which will render sustainable development as embodied in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) elusive.