It’s finally here! The long-awaited expert statement on the values of biodiversity is now available, and there is a lot of exciting stuff to dive into.
Today, after a long period of anticipation, the new expert statement on the values of biodiversity has finally arrived. The statement is a collaboration between experts from six Danish universities and it is based on the global IPBES report on values published in 2022. The expert statement has been two years in the making, but now it presents 11 options for action aimed at inspiring Danish decision-makers and promoting a green transition in Denmark.
The lead author of the statement, professor Mette Termansen from the Department of Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen, expresses a positive opinion about the project and the collaboration, and she is hopeful about the impact of the expert statement:
I am pleased that we have managed to reach a consensus on the many different values of biodiversity among experts from different backgrounds and from so many different institutions. We have made the statement because the biodiversity crisis is a fundamental challenge for Danish society and for all of us, and because its causes run deep. It is, of course, my hope that decision-makers will read our recommendations and apply them in their decision-making.
– Mette Termansen, professor at the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO)
The urgent need for action in the biodiversity crisis
The new expert statement is a response to the ever-increasing loss of biodiversity in Denmark and around the world. The latest reports from IPBES estimate that one in four species categorised as threatened with extinction will disappear within just a few decades. Extinction rates within known groups of organisms such as mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles are 10 or more times higher than before industrialisation and the violent population and consumption growth of recent centuries. Common species are also rapidly declining. The world’s population of wild animals has been reduced by up to three-quarters since 1970, and at the same time there is a significant and invisible loss of genetic diversity.
On top of all this, IPBES reports a reduction in the ecosystem services that support the positive contributions that humans receive from biodiversity. Of the 18 key contributions of biodiversity identified by IPBES, 14 are currently in decline, many of which are severely affected. This includes climate regulation, soil fertility and pollination, as well as air and water quality. Overall, the conclusion to all this is that we are in a biodiversity crisis.
A significant cause for this crisis is that the value of biodiversity is not sufficiently taken into account in e.g. economic and political decision-making processes. All the consequential impacts of biodiversity loss are often ignored or only partially addressed. It is only when the value of biodiversity is consistently integrated into decision-making that there is potential to introduce a fundamental and systemic solution to the biodiversity crisis.
There is a growing recognition of how humanity’s management of the planet’s resources has led to a dramatic decline in the planet’s species and biodiversity (IPBES 2019). There is also strong evidence and growing recognition of the impact this decline holds.
– IPBES expert statement 2025
Global values in a Danish context
In 2022, the global IPBES report on the values of biodiversity, ‘Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature’, was published. The report proposed a categorisation of values and different perspectives on biodiversity. The global report from IPBES also provided a summary and assessment of existing methods and practices for incorporating these values into primarily economic and political decisions. In this way, the report sought to contribute to the understanding of the barriers that need to be overcome and the actions that can be implemented in the pursuit to solve the biodiversity crisis.
However, this is far from a straightforward task. Carsten Rahbek, chair of the Danish IPBES committee, explains the challenges involved in addressing the causes of the biodiversity crisis:
Although the causes of the biodiversity crisis are known, it remains a significant challenge to incorporate the importance of biodiversity into decision-making processes across sectors and on a scale large enough to reverse the trend. An important step towards changing this is to establish a common understanding of how these values are perceived. Such an understanding will, in the best case, establish a form of consensus or at least create understanding between different viewpoints and opinions. .
– Carsten Rahbek, professor of biodiversity and chair of IPBES in Denmark’s steering committee
A good example of this is that one of our primary measures of welfare and progress in Danish society has always been, and still is, the Danish gross domestic product (GDP). In an economic context, both researchers and government officials have been trying for decades to develop a green national accounting system that deducts the loss of value resulting from climate change and loss of biodiversity. However, it is still pure GDP that stands as an indicator of the development of society, and this is one of the points that this expert opinion seeks to address.
Mette Termansen summarises the intention behind the expert group’s work towards this as follows:
In the expert group, we have tried to come up with options for how the different values of biodiversity can be better integrated into decisions and planning in Danish society. Because we can see that it is a fundamental problem when this does not happen. We need to think long-term and systematically to include such fundamental values in our decision-making processes and planning tools.
– Mette Termansen, professor at the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO)
Values of biodiversity – a path towards the solution
A general goal for biodiversity, agreed upon in the EU and the UN, is that by 2050 we should live “in harmony with nature.” The specifics of this formulation is important and is emphasized through Mette Termansen’s interpretation of the necessity for a full understanding and appreciation of biodiversity:
A crucial benchmark is that biodiversity is understood and valued, and that this is reflected in both societal goals and priorities, in legislation and the state regulatory system, and ultimately in our actions.
– Mette Termansen, professor at the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO)
There is no reason to believe that this cannot be achieved in Denmark. To accommodate natural values in the political process, IPBES identifies four levels of value-oriented actions, referred to as leverage points (action areas), which promote transformative change: (1) valuing and recognising natural values, (2) inclusion of the diverse values of nature in decision-making, (3) reform of policies, rights and laws, and (4) a shift towards sustainable social norms and goals. Overall, the action points emphasise that we need to fundamentally change our views, behaviors and activities in relation to biodiversity if the biodiversity crisis is to be reversed.
The four leverage points
The four leverage points outlined in the report are based on different perspectives on the value of nature and biodiversity. Together, they form the framework for 11 proposals for action, presented in the expert statement in a Danish context, and compiled by IPBES with a view to achieving a societal valuation of nature and biodiversity that will also contribute to the goals at UN and EU level.
The options presented in the statment are considered to be relatively easy to implement in Denmark.
– IPBES expert statement 2025
The most tangible area of action is about making nature’s diverse values – including economic, ecological, cultural, relational and intrinsic values – visible through valuation. This involves promoting public awareness of the values of nature through education, communication and dissemination, and developing methods to quantify the contribution of biodiversity to human well-being and welfare.
The next step is to ensure that these values can be actively incorporated into decision-making – in politics, business investment strategies and civil society initiatives. This requires clarification of the principles and methods used to integrate the importance of natural values into the assessment of the effects of economic and political decisions. Not only is it recommended that the many diverse values of nature be included in green accounting and socio-economic assessments, but also that dialogue and public consultations be used to ensure that society’s diverse views on nature and biodiversity are reflected.
This requires a fundamental review of the political and legal framework to ensure that the values of nature become an integral part of the structure and dynamics of society. This entails radical changes to economic instruments such as subsidy schemes and tax rules that promote innovation, respect the limitations of natural resources, protect values and ensure long-term sustainability, rather than supporting practices that destroy nature.
Finally, it requires a fundamental shift in the values and norms that shape our economic and political systems. This is not just a matter of recognising and institutionalising the value of nature, but of fundamentally transforming our common understanding of prosperity and development so that we can move from measuring material growth and ignoring the destruction of natural resources to promoting long-term sustainability, well-being and collective responsibility.
Read more about the necessity of these biodiversity values, examples and the 11 options for action in the expert statement. It can be found here: Danish IPBES publications – IPBES in DENMARK
