The Green Institute
Through evolution, man has been occupying more and more land to live and grow food, and with the gradual increase of the population and the industrial revolution, which has lead to more activities and consequently the degradation of ecosystems. The increase in temperature on land has led to a devastating loss of important habitats of different species, which are fundamental places for the feeding, reproduction, and survival of animals.
What are Ecosystems?
Ecosystems encompass a variety of population species together with their abiotic components that interact in complex ways. For example, the hilly regions, the people of that area, flora and fauna found on the hills, the water sources like brooks and streams, and so on all form a mountain ecosystem. All these components interact with each other for symbiotic survival, which means a drop in the population of one species or component will likely destroy the fragile balance of the entire ecosystem and lead to migration or loss of other species and/or components. Ecosystems and their processes are characterized by their population growth, resilience to externally induced changes, and restoration capabilities. While most ecosystems are subject to changes over time, if the changes repeatedly target the destruction of biodiversity, the ecosystems may not be able to repair or restore their functions and populations.
Why is there a need for ecosystem restoration?
It is a matter of concern for all the ecosystems as anthropogenically introduced changes jeopardize the ecosystem's functionality as a whole. When we talk about the functionality of an ecosystem, we practically mean the derivable services from the ecosystem. With the rise in the human population and the resulting activities, nearly two-thirds of the world’s ecosystems have been impacted in the last 50 years, causing severe implications on the lives of those dependent on them. Ecosystem restoration is needed for the ecosystems to maintain a fragile balance where they can sustain themselves and provide meaningful services to their inhabitants – food and livelihood security in specific. However, there are other services like reduction of global temperatures, restoring the water tables, mitigating climate change, etc., that make ecosystem restoration important in our discussion today.
How does ecosystem restoration help us?
With the rise in demand for resources, industrialization, and imbalances in economies, the world today needs more resources and mutually interactive ecosystems with various species to cater to the needs of its rising population. Ecosystem balance does not only help in providing sustenance to its inhabitants but also provides a variety of goods and services that form the core of any economic activity and contribute significantly to human welfare. It can provide livelihoods and satiate hunger to many and also uplift those dependent on natural resource-based livelihoods from poverty.
What are other notable services from ecosystems?
These are a few services that ecosystems provide.
Directly consumable Services – Example: timber, wood from forest ecosystems, or seafood from pond ecosystems.
Indirectly consumable Services – Example: Carbon sequestration, waste absorption, nutrient cycling, soil formation, etc., from forest ecosystems.
Existence Services – Example: Aesthetic value of grassland ecosystems for tourism revenue.
Why has ecosystem restoration not gained significance in the past?
Ecosystem services have not been carefully regarded in policy and decision making in the past as there is little to no monetary value attached to them unlike other goods and services in the market. They were expected to be free and limitless. Without an economic value, policy and decision-making have not reflected on ecosystems, their needs, and restoration in-depth, and thus ecosystems have been prone to further exploitation and deterioration.
However, on the optimistic side of things, this has gained significance in recent years, and policymakers are poised to refine the laws.
Are there any steps being taken by the world leaders towards restoration?
Fortunately, there is tremendous emphasis on restoration at the global front today. The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) is geared towards a harmonized balance in ecological, social, and developmental priorities in landscapes where different forms of land use interact. There are several other projects like the FERI (Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative) by the Korean forest service and the African-led Great Green Wall movement that aim towards integrating the local ecosystems to stabilize the livelihoods of the locals.
To better contextualize, the UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration has 3 main objectives:
Enhancing global, regional, national & local commitments & actions to prevent, halt & reverse the degradation of ecosystems.
Increasing our understanding of the multiple benefits of successful ecosystem restoration.
Applying knowledge of ecosystem restoration in our education systems & within all public & private sector decision-making.
To achieve these objectives, several activities can be applied to contribute to the protection of ecosystems and to their repair.
Enhancing organic carbon in agricultural soils;
Increasing fish stocks in overfished zones;
Remediating polluted sites;
Restoring ecological processes;
Restoring biodiversity;
conserving fauna and flora.
Role of Entrepreneurs?
In seeking to solve diverse global problems, entrepreneurship and small businesses are important to achieving these goals. Entrepreneurship has been increasingly driven by countries and large organizations, as entrepreneurship contributes significantly to innovations and new business opportunities, and consequently generating employment, reducing poverty, bringing quality of life, and generating socio-environmental impact.
The prior literature shows that entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a significant channel for bringing about a transformation to sustainable products and services and the implementation of new projects addressing various social and environmental concerns (DHAHRI, OMRI, 2018).
Sustainable entrepreneurship is one of the great solutions to preserving ecosystems, mitigating the effects of climate change, reducing environmental degradation, improving agricultural practices, providing quality water, and maintaining biodiversity
The role of entrepreneurship in attaining the sustainable development goals is emerging. Being an important subject of some debates in the recent few years, most international organizations, policy makers, and economists considered it a solution to promise the future development of society.
References
DHAHRI, Sabrine; OMRI, Anis. Entrepreneurship Contribution to the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development: What Does the Evidence Really Say? MPRA. Germany, p. 1-14. 17 jan. 2018. Available in: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/84504/. Accessed in: 16 apr. 2021.
UNITED NATIONS. The United NationsDecade on Ecosystem Restoration. New York: United Nations, 2020. Available in: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/31813/ERDStrat.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed in: 16 apr. 2021.