I suspect most readers of this blog have no difficulty in the idea that we should strive to ensure that the rest of life on earth should have a future. In Europe, our best places for wildlife – identified, designated and (to some extent) protected are brought together as a network known as Natura 2000. It’s a term that is rarely used or heard in the UK – though it is no less important here – on the off chance the term comes up in a pub quiz, you can read more about it here.
Safeguarding nature for it’s own sake should be justification enough, but increasingly the case must be made to show that the benefits of protecting our natural environment are measured not just in terms of the health of our wildlife populations, not just in terms of our own well-being underpinned by our love of nature, but in terms of hard cash.
The good news is that the figures stack up – and here is a very substantial report to back up the claim.
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