The economics of biodiversity

Professor Partha Dasgupta of the University of Cambridge will present his final independent report on the global economic benefits of biodiversity, as well as the economic costs and risks linked to biodiversity loss. After the presentation, a panel will discuss the report’s implications for Africa.

Bank President Akinwumi Adesina will participate in the discussion, joined by Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission; Sandy Sheard,  Deputy Director with Her Majesty’s Treasury, UK; Prof. Kevin Chika Urama, Senior Director of the African Development Institute; Dr. Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director at the Stockholm Environment Institute; and others. 

The session is expected to produce a Summary Report identifying opportunities to implement Africa’s Options for Change, defined in the report as broad, interconnected transitions for humanity to undertake to:  ensure that demands on Nature do not exceed its supply, and that we increase Nature’s supply relative to its current level; change measures of economic success to put humanity on a more sustainable path; and  transform institutions and systems  to enable these changes and sustain them for future generations. The summary report will include concrete steps for policy makers, academics, the private sector, and other actors to follow to achieve the Review’s targets. 

Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at University of Cambridge, led the Review, which was commissioned by the UK Treasury in March 2019, with support from an advisory panel.

For more information and to read the report, click here.

African Development Bank Group