Biodiversity Transcends Services

摘要

IN THEIR POLICY FORUM "ECOSYSTEM SERVICES for 2020" (15 October, p. 323), C. Perrings et al. discuss possible missing elements in the Convention on Biological Diversity's proposed new targets. They suggest that targets for biodiversity be based directly on ecosystem services because people will then have a stake in the program's success. This approach undersells both biodiversity and the role of ecosystem services. Bio-diversity's value extends beyond current ecosystem services and includes likely future benefits we cannot anticipate. Recognizing the benefits of ecosystem services can reduce the cost of retaining relatively intact areas of local biodiversity, but we need to plan for larger-scale conservation.