A Swedish research center has been tasked by the government with valuating the services rendered by ecosystems and educating the public on the importance of biodiversity.
Backed by Ministry of the Environment, a commission led by Maria Schultz from the Resilience and Development Programme (SwedBio) at the Stockholm Resilience Centre has been tasked with making "ecosystem services" known to all levels of civic society in Sweden by 2018, reports Sturle Hauge Simonsen.
The concept of services rendered by ecosystems is central to the Centre's research, which focuses on preserving biodiversity and evaluating the benefits of sustainable use of resources.
The commission aims to create a system for identifying and assigning monetary value to ecosystem services and ensuring that all levels of government adopt the system.
FULL STORY: Politics for Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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