EU - China TEEB workshop - mainstreaming the values of nature into decision making

Over the past few days I attended the  EU - China TEEB scoping workshop in Beijing.

TEEB - The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity - has made significant progress in mainstreaming the values of nature into decision-making in Europe and globally, and there is a desire on the part of key stakeholders (European Union, Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, CRAES, BfN, UNEP) to promote the process in China through exchange of experiences and capacity development between the EU and China.  I was invited to the Beijing workshop as an EU expert in valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services. The two days of discussion proved very fruitful, resulting in progress towards a pathway in which to implement a TEEB China study. One key issue identified in the discussion was the option of an urban TEEB study - the population of Beijing has increased fro 2m to 10m over the past decade and this has had significant implications for people's health and welfare. The prospect of a TEEB China study is very exciting given that it could potentially affect 1/5th of the world population.