Drawing on more than 1,000 scientific studies assessing the value of nature, a landmark study published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assesses the many different values of nature and how to incorporate these into decision-making. The IPBES is often referred to as conservation scientists' equivalent of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the key United Nation's group of climate scientists. The IPBES provides policy makers with scientific assessments relating to the planet's diversity of fauna and flora, and the contributions they make to people.
The report makes clear that placing science-based valuation of nature at the heart of economic decision making is necessary to stem the accelerating loss of the planet's biodiversity.