Nairobi, 29 August 2016: The European Union is a major funder of UNEP’s work, and the European Commission (EC) funds specific projects.

In this article we look at two UN Environment (UNEP) ecosystems-related projects funded exclusively by the EC – one on the value of ecosystems, and one relating toThe Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP).

In 2012, the EC provided €4 million to allow Bhutan, Ecuador, Liberia, Philippines and Tanzania to do an Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) country study. This was the start of a project titled Reflecting the Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Policymaking, which will run up to June 2017. Under the project, UNEP is supporting national and local capacity in these countries to produce assessments of ecosystem services, as well as guidance on how to include the recommendations in policymaking.

TEEB is a global initiative focused on “making nature’s values visible”. Its principal objective is to mainstream the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into decision-making at all levels. It aims to achieve this by following a structured approach to valuation that helps decision-makers recognize the wide range of benefits provided by ecosystems and biodiversity, demonstrate their value in economic terms and, where appropriate, capture those values in decision-making.

A TEEB Country Study identifies the ecosystem services vital to meeting the country’s policy priorities and makes recommendations on how these services can be integrated into policies. These recommendations can include policies for poverty alleviation, subsidy reform, land use management, protected area management, securing livelihoods, investment in natural infrastructure restoration, and national accounting (including natural capital accounting).

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