x-raying his boon on The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, Prof Partha
Dasgupta  stated that we are totally dependent upon the natural world. It supplies us with
every oxygen-laden breath we take and every mouthful of food we eat. But we are currently
damaging it so profoundly that many of its natural systems are now on the verge of
breakdown.

Today, we are now so mechanically ingenious that we are able to destroy a rainforest, the
most species-rich ecosystem that has ever existed, and replace it with plantations of a single
species in order to feed burgeoning human populations on the other side of the world. No
single species in the whole history of life has ever been so successful or so dominant.
Plundering every corner of the world, apparently neither knowing nor caring what the
consequences might be. Each nation is doing so within its own territories. Those with lands
bordering the sea fish not only in their offshore waters but in parts of the ocean so far from
land that no single nation can claim them. So now we are stripping every part of both the
land and the sea in order to feed our ever-increasing numbers But consider the following facts. 

Today, we ourselves, together with the livestock we rear for food, constitute 96% of the mass of all mammals on the planet. Only 4% is everything else – from elephants to badgers, from moose to monkeys. And 70% of all birds alive at this moment are poultry – mostly chickens for us to eat. We are destroying biodiversity, the very characteristic that until recently enabled the natural world to flourish so abundantly. If we continue this damage, whole ecosystems will collapse. That is now a real risk.

Putting things right will take collaborative action by every nation on earth. It will require
international agreements to change our ways. Each ecosystem has its own vulnerabilities
and requires its own solutions. There has to be a universally shared understanding of how
these systems work, and how those that have been damaged can be brought back to health.

This comprehensive, detailed and immensely important report is grounded in that
understanding. It explains how we have come to create these problems and the actions we
must take to solve them. It then provides a map for navigating a path towards the
restoration of our planet’s biodiversity.

Economics is a discipline that shapes decisions of the utmost consequence, and so matters
to us all. The Dasgupta Review at last puts biodiversity at its core and provides the compass
that we urgently need. In doing so, it shows us how, by bringing economics and ecology
together, we can help save the natural world at what may be the last minute – and in doing
so, save ourselves.

This was followed by a Panel Discussion on Understanding and Evaluating the Economics of
Nigeria’s Biodiversity Led by

~Prof Partha Dasgupta – FRS FBA, is an Indian-British economist who is the Frank Ramsey
Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Fellow of
St John's College, Cambridge, and Visiting Professor at the New College of the Humanities,
London.

~Pius OKO, Head of Programs and Research, Lift Humanity Foundation and Project Lead at
African Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access (ACSEA) Project of the Pan African Climate
Justice Alliance (PACJA)

~ Chinma George, Chief Executive Officer ClimFinancing Consulting
~ Seyifunmi Adebote is a leading environmental actor leading youth engagements across Nigeria and contributing significantly to youth inclusiveness in the UN, World Bank andother diplomatic institutions. He is the host of Climate Talk Podcast 

Amb. Richard Abubakar Umar, Founder Youth Voyage of Nigeria, an Environmental Activist, Greenprenure SDGs advocate and a Commuinty driver.