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TBLI Europe Conference – Biodiversity Investment

Creating an Alliance between Biodiversity and Investment – Investing in Europe’s Wilderness Areas

Zoltán Kun, Executive Director, PAN Parks Foundation

Europe’s Green Infrastructure Needs Urgent Investment!

EUROPE’SWILDERNESS

Does Europe’s wilderness exist?

11 existing members

in Europe

How can you be engaged?• Investing in Europe’s wilderness related products

• Visiting Europe’s wilderness areas with your company or with your clients who want to invest in wilderness

• Visiting Europe’s wilderness area during your family holidays & pick up our unique wilderness products in order to ensure your visit actually contributes to wilderness conservation

EUROPE’S WILDERNESS

What to invest in?• Tourism products and tourism related investments

• Sustainable natural resource production (including food, water production and purification, soil protection, etc…) &

• Biodiversity conservations, which might be of direct interest for a few industry sectors such as tourism and pharmaceuticals

Why biodiversity? And why wilderness?• we heard about various crisises yesterday:

• financial

• energy

• climate

• food

• trust

What does green infrastructure mean? Protected areas!

but there is also a biodiversity crisis, and

• wilderness is shrinking rapidly in Europe

• biodiversity should be considered as an asset however shall not be traded through stock exchange

• what is the value of wilderness and biodiversity

THE ECONOMY OF NATURE CONTENTS

• Landscape protection;

• Biodiversity protection;

• Improvement and maintenance of the ecological functionality;

• Sustainable economic development;

• Achievement of international standards;

• Enjoyment of the Park;

• Ecologic and economic link with the whole area;

• Shared management strategy

Valuing nature through the example of Majella PAN Park, IT

THE ANNUAL INCOME OF THE ECONOMY OF NATURE• PRODUCTION SERVICES: water, oxygen, genetic resources, wood, fibre, feed etc.- 342.365.530 Euro/year;• CONTROL SERVICES - CO2 reduction, polluting dust and agents, climate and water balance control, biodiversity etc. - 149.199.565 Euro/year;• SUPPORT SERVICES - Recreation and tourism, agriculture and breeding etc.- 485.549.517 Euro/year• CULTURAL SERVICES – aesthetical, spiritual, religious, historical and artistic, scientific and educational values, which are priceless, because they are fundamental parts of the social and individual health and welfare.• TOTAL: 977.114.412 euro/year• like a 13.187 euro/year per ha (Referring only to renewable natural productions and to the activities having its direct seeds in the values of the Park)

THE INCOME FOR THE STATE - 1• The Government funds the Majella National Park with about 2.200.000 Euro/year of current contribution (about 29 Euro/ha);•The increase of the tourist expenditure (ecotourism) and the direct or indirect employment generated by the presence of the Park generates a repatriation of 26.000.000 Euro for the Government.• THIS MEANS THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS A REPATRIATION OF MORE THAN 10 EURO FOR EACH EURO GIVEN TO THE PARK, NOT CONSIDERING THE SAVINGS CREATED BY AN EFFECTIVE AND SERIOUS LAND USE POLICY• The mentioned data do not consider the value of the basic goods provided by the Park – water, oxygen, CO2 reduction etc. If we consider these, the rate of 1:100 (1€ put in nature conservation generates an income 100 times higher estimated by Balmford et al., SCIENZE in 2002) is passed, AS FOR THE MAJELLA NATIONAL PARK, THIS RATE REACHES 1:260

Wilderness is a scarce resource in Europe and requires more investment for its survival

• millions of people are loosing their links to nature due to urbanisation

• wilderness provides huge biodiversity, water purification and carbon storage benefits

• wilderness areas can help in conflict resolution (for instance Northern Ireland and Bosnia)

• Europe also has a moral obligation to protect the last pieces of wilderness!

Why wilderness?

“Wilderness is part of our European Identity. Loosing it means loosing a part of our home, part of ourselves” Ladislav Miko, European Commission

• fall of the iron curtain opened a various areas for conservation

• there is a decrease in farming subsidies

• there is a tendency of people moving into urban areas and loosing contact with nature

• there is also a well-visible growing political interest

• Resolution on Wilderness Areas submitted to EC

• European Parliament appointed a special rapporter

There is a unique momentum for wilderness in Europe

Vision

• Guaranteed high level protection of Europe’s wilderness capitals supported by all Europeans

Case study and lessons learned: PAN Parks Foundation

PAN Parks as a brand

• PAN Parks are the top European wilderness destinations

Mission• The PAN Parks Foundation develops the possibility for people to enjoy Europe’s wilderness by

• conserving Europe’s wilderness PAs

• developing high quality tourism packages

• promoting sustainable tourism

The primarily investment opportunity is nature-tourism

• high quality tourism products are needed

• there is a need for infrastructure development

• access, accommodations, service

• there is a need for sustainability

• there is a relative safety of investments in Europe

• Further investment opportunities are in

• sustainable local products -> Biodiversity Fund

• creating a private PAN Parks -> Carbon Offset and/or Storage

Introducing investment opportunities

Wilderness provides a unique selling point for investors, but you need to develop a reliable and trustworthy partnership

• build bridges between conservationists and investors

• conservationists requires long-term thinking

• join local initiatives

• make sure there is a direct link to conservation

There are several challenges to invest in biodiversity / wilderness

Wilderness is a scarce resource in Europe and requires more investment for its survival

• return on capital investment

• for instance PAN Parks Accommodation is a financially viable investment opportunity for individuals and banks

• improved biodiversity

• socially responsible development in rural areas

• do not package socially and ecologically responsible investments!

What are the returns on investment?

KISS!

• follow sustainability principles – the prism of sustainability

• note that conservationists are idealistic people and they are not necessarily familiar with financial terms

• join or support local initiatives

• define concrete biodiversity benefit

• think long-term

Follow basic, simple principles

Contact: Kun Zoltán

zkun@panparks.orgT: +36703801522F: +3696523665

www.panparks.org

Support, preserve, enjoy Europe’s wilderness