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GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK FOR YOUTH IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 2.1 Nature’s gifts


The Asia-Pacific region contains exceptionally rich biodiversity. The tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, the reefs of the Coral Triangle, temperate forests and the large Mekong river basin are all found in the region and are regarded as among the most biodiverse and valuable on Earth. The region also encompasses many different ecoregions and biomes that harbour dramatically distinct assemblages of plants and animals. Sadly, the Asia-Pacific region is facing unprecedented declines in biodiversity and natural environments. Protecting and conserving these natural resources that contribute to human wellbeing is urgent.


This chapter highlights the social, economic and biological values of Earth systems to human wellbeing. It presents the reasoning on how people reap abundant benefits from nature and showcases four systems: land, freshwater, coastal and marine, and urban (Figure 4). Through featuring real-life examples, the chapter also aims to show how nature is vital to human wellbeing.


2.2 Land systems: seeds of life


Our society, culture and way of life are intertwined with the land systems – forests, trees, plants and soil. The increasing recognition of their value in Asia and the Pacific is due to the invaluable ecosystem goods and services they provide, upon which people depend. Land systems in the region can be grouped according to such functions as production, recreation, conservation and protected areas or landscapes. Each provides various benefits to people and are vital to the achievement


of the SDGs, contributing to food security, eradicating poverty, improving rural livelihoods, conserving biological diversity and the overall functioning of ecosystems, and increasing the planet’s resilience to anthropogenic changes.


Forests are reservoirs for wildlife and people


Forests are one of the most biologically rich terrestrial systems. Tropical, temperate and boreal forests provide diverse habitats for plants, animals and microorganisms, and host the vast majority of the world's terrestrial species (ACB 2011). Due to abundant rainfall and warm temperatures, the vast tropical forests of Southeast Asia (Box 2), for instance, support ecologically, economically and scientifically valuable diverse plants and animals.


Also, tropical forests in the Asia-Pacific region contribute significantly to the global food supply through the production of fruit and vegetables pollinated by bees (Box 3), birds and bats. These pollinators shape 35 per cent of the world’s crop production and affect production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, as well as many plant-derived medicines. However, the sustainability of this food supply is being threatened due to the decline in populations of pollinator species. In 2016, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reported that 16.5 per cent of vertebrate pollinators globally are threatened with extinction due to land-use change, intensive agricultural management and pesticide use, environmental pollution, invasive alien species, pathogens and climate change (IPBES 2016). It has been shown that pristine forests provide greater availability of food


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