shēng wù duō yàng xìng生物多样性jiǎn shǎo减少duì对yà zhōu亚洲hé和tài píng yáng太平洋jīng jì经济de的yǐng xiǎng影响
Nature provides us with many important benefits, such as food, timber, clean water, pollination, and coastal protection.
These are not just environmental issues; they are also closely related to the economy.
Biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific is rapidly decreasing, making many areas more vulnerable.
For example, vultures in India have died in large numbers due to a cattle drug, making it harder to clean up garbage and animal carcasses, which has also increased human deaths.
Coral bleaching and the deterioration of the marine environment in Southeast Asia have affected the lives and livelihoods of over 100 million people.
When there are many species, the loss of one species may not have a big impact; but as species become fewer, ecosystems become more fragile and economic risks increase.
Countries like Malaysia and Indonesia face particularly high risks, and Singapore also has similar risks.
Some places are now using new methods to protect nature, such as biodiversity bonds, debt-for-nature swaps, and rewarding farmers to protect land and ecosystems.
Protecting nature is not only about protecting the environment but also about safeguarding the future economy and livelihoods.