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Killing off nature

Talk about Rome burning while Nero fiddles!

The world is letting nature wither........and the UN has called on countries to do something to stop the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems.

BBC News reports:

"But the main message - from the UN and activists alike - is that governments must urgently increase efforts to protect biodiversity and ecosystems.

"Biological diversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services essential for human well-being," says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a document setting out the reasons why he called for the day's discussions.

"Its continued loss, therefore, has major implications for current and future human well-being... The maintenance and restoration of natural infrastructure can provide economic gains worth trillions of dollars a year."

The argument is that nature provides "ecosystem services" that humanity uses - such as pollination of agricultural crops by insects. If this is lost, the food supply falls."

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