The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Summary for Policy Makers

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The average abundance of native species in most major terrestrial biomes has fallen by at least 20 per cent, potentially affecting ecosystem processes and hence nature’s contributions to people; this decline has mostly taken place since 1900 and may be accelerating.

Local, national, regional and global governance initiatives have improved outcomes in this way by supporting policies, innovation and the elimination of environmentally harmful subsidies, introducing incentives in line with the value of nature’s contribution to people, increasing sustainable land-/sea-use management and enforcing regulations, among other measures.

Yet policy reforms to deal with such causes of environmental harm offer the potential to both conserve nature and provide economic benefits, including when policies are based on more and better understanding of the multiple values of nature’s contributions.

Reducing the negative impact of unsustainable logging by improving and implementing sustainable forest management, and addressing illegal logging.