Nature contributes vastly to our lives, whether intrinsically, spiritually, or through our health, quality of life and economy. On the Isle of Man, a simple valuation put its value at over £42million a year. It's time we took it seriously and invested seriously.

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is the intergovernmental body which assesses the state of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services it provides to society, in response to requests from decision makers. Their Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Europe and Central Asia has just been published.

You can view the report here: https://www.ipbes.net/assessment-reports/eca

It's a great time to show how important we think our environment is on the Isle of Man and show how we can lead internationally for our UNESCO Biosphere status. The Agricultural Strategy offers an unprecedented opportunity to support farmers to enable nature's recovery to expand out from the core areas many of them manage. However, MWT believe it requires at least another £1,000,000 a year investment from Government to better ensure healthy ecosystems and all the benefits, from carbon storage in peat to helping manage flooding to supporting our pollinators.

Much of our wildlife is in a precarious place, with 25% of plant species under threat, 18% of wetlands lost and the Ballaugh Curraghs landscape losing a third of its semi-natural habitat over previous decades. But we are not the UK and MWT believe a Wilder Future offers a way to ensure nature's recovery based on effective protection. Protection and action such as supporting our unique farming community, building new offsetting schemes and investing in our natural assets through a Natural Capital Working Group. We hope that this would build on our Natural Capital event in 2018 which was supported by Manx Lottery Trust and DEFA. 

We hope that the Isle of Man community will get behind us and help put pressure on government to make this happen.