Georgia is one of the pilot countries that have volunteered
to assess its natural capital with the ultimate objective of valuing the
services provided by the country’s ecosystems. “Bringing the wealth of the
natural world to the attention of decision-makers will pave the way to better
informed choices and policies,” said Pavan Sukhdev, chair of the TEEB Advisory
Board at the launch of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Scoping Study in Tbilisi.
The TEEB Scoping Study for Georgia--a joint effort of the Ministry
of Environment, UN Environment Program, and WWF Caucasus--is an important step in
valuing ecosystems and biodiversity. Identifying five core sectors of Georgian
economy--energy, tourism, agriculture, mining, and forestry--the study
highlights their dependence on natural capital and related services.
“Considering the rapid development of Georgia’s economy, the
TEEB initiative is an effective instrument to help conserve ecosystems while
promoting sustainable growth,” said environment minister Khatuna Gogaladze at
the launch event on Oct. 1.
Georgia’s agriculture sector employs 53 percent of the
workforce and is a main vehicle for rural development. The sector’s long-term
sustainability, however, faces challenges associated with reduction of genetic
diversity, land degradation due to salinization, and soil erosion. Crop yields
are at risk if incentives are not provided to promote, for example, limited
pesticide and chemical fertilizer use, soil conservation, and crop rotation.
This first scoping exercise recommends the development of
TEEB for Agriculture, a sectoral examination that addresses policies to ensure
food security, improve agricultural biodiversity, reduce the extent of land
degradation, and maintain agriculture as a strong economic sector, according to
a news release from UNEP.
“Nature plays a vital role in sustaining Georgia’s important
economic sectors and policy priorities. For example, with its abundance of
rivers and varying terrain, the hydropower sector has immense potential. The
sector depends, however, on both quality and quantity of freshwater, guaranteed
by forests upstream. This is another call for protected ecosystems that would
benefit us all,” said Yolanda Kakabadse, president of WWF International.
There have been steps taken toward ecosystem service
valuation in neighboring Armenia, with pilot programs initiated by UNEP and REC
Caucasus. Some of the areas targeted for Georgia were the subject of my
capstone research which focused on the link between natural capital and the tourism,
beverage, and hydropower sectors of Armenia’s economy. The main concepts were
outlined in my 2011 talk at TEDx Yerevan on Redefining Our Economic Systems.
