According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), one-quarter of the world’s land mass has suffered environmental degradation over the past 50 years. The costs have totaled at least $6.3 trillion in lost ecosystem services; on the flip side, there is massive investment potential in repairing all these lands. The challenge, however, is finding ways to make land restoration more enticing for investors.
A report WRI issued earlier this week suggests seven essential steps by which governments and the private sector can find ways to make ecosystems restoration an attractive financial proposition. The results would include more food grown, improved energy efficiency and of course, better air and water quality.
So what is getting in the way of restoring forests and other remediation efforts worldwide?