8/6/2019 Evely. 2010. Dead planet, living planet. Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration for sustainable development, a rapi

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BOOK REVIEW

DEAD PLANET, LIVING PLANET. BIODIVERSITY ANDECOSYSTEM RESTORATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOP-MENT, A RAPID RESPONSE ASSESSMENT, C. Nellemann,E. Corcoran (eds). Birkland Trykkeri, Norway, 2010. ISBN978-82-7701-083-0, US$30.00, 109pp.

Dead Planet, Living Planet is part of the United NationsEnvironment Programmes work to assess the challenges andopportunities faced when transitioning to a low carbon, resourceefcient Green Economy. The book is a collection of short chaptersthat discuss ecosystem services, global land use change and a series

of approaches to ecosystem restoration. The book is testament tothe signicant breadth and depth of knowledge UNEP has gatheredin this area. The range of approaches for successful restoration thathave been investigated is very impressive.

Following an introduction to ecosystem services (chapter 2), thebook goes on to discuss global land use change and scenarios of biodiversity loss (chapter 3). The subsequent seven chapters(chapters 410) each consider a different aspect of ecosystemrestoration, for example, restoration for biodiversity, restoration forwater supply or restoration for climate change mitigation. In eachchapter the reader is concisely introduced to the problem andprovided with case studies that illustrate ways in which a problemhas been successfully solved. Themethodologies for restoration areoften novel and generally very simple, providing importantrecommendations on how to avoid pitfalls and maximise the

potential for success. In total the book documents over 30successful restoration case studies and draws information fromthousands of projects. Due to the nature and breadth of topicscovered, its concise chapters, the simplicity of explanations andpractical case studies, this book will be relevant to academics,policy makers and practitioners, all of whom can draw someimportant lessons.

The reader is rst introduced to conservation of biodiversity asthe simplest and most effective means of ensuring ecosystemservices are protected for the future. In chapter 3 the intactecosystem is compared to the restored ecosystem in terms of biodiversity, showing that biodiversity in the restored area isgenerally lower than in the intact ecosystem, making it apparentthat greater effort should be placed on protecting areas on a greaterscale than is done at present. Where restoration is required it is

costly (US$10100 thousand perhectare), yet the lossof ecosystemservices of an area altogether would be far greater (- ecosystemservices worldwide are worth US$2172 trillion/yr). Challenges of water management can be met by restoring ecosystem catchments,riparian zones and wetlands (chapter 4). Through restoration water

purication is possible on a far greater scale with 622-fold higherbenet than a ltration plant; no small matter when over 50 per centof the world hospital beds are lled with people suffering fromwater borne diseases (chapter 5). Reduction in ecosystem services,such as nutrient depletion, reduced water for irrigation, lower pestcontrol and loss of pollination (as outlined in theoverview providedin chapter 1) would depress food production by up to 25 per cent,and strongly impact food security, especially in the mostimpoverished, disenfranchised communities. Among otherapproaches chapter 6 shows that switching to organic farmingwould improve food quality, restore and maintain soil fertility andreduce pest infestation and provide US$1,61019 420/ha/yr worthof ecosystem services compared to US$1, 27014570/ha/yr forconventional farming. Similar monetary values, costs and benetsare placed upon other restoration attempts. For example,reforestation of some areas would act as storm barriers, worthUS$23 billion to the United States alone. Climate changemitigation and carbon sequestration are perhaps the mostcommonly thought of purposes for ecosystem restoration. Inchapter 7 we learn that reducing deforestation by 50 per cent by2030 would cut emissions by 1.52.7GtCO 2 /yr with an estimatedlong-term nancial benet of US$3.7 trillion.

Dead Planet, Living Planet provides some salient advice andconvinces the reader that restoring ecosystems is not only possible,but that it is also a fairly straightforward process in many cases. Aslong as the pitfalls of restoration processes are avoided, 2544 per

cent of the original services and biodiversity provided incomparable systems can be restored, signicantly improving thewellbeing of the six billion people currently living on the planet.

If there were to be one criticism of the book, it would be thatsome information is restated throughout, making it repetitive if readas a whole. The book would also benet from improved links toguresand better explanations forgureswhich areoften presentedalongside text with nothing to explain or link themto that which hasproceeded. Often the gures are far more complicated than the textor case studies given and are not altogether necessary.

DR ANNA EVELY Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability, University of

Aberdeen, AB24 3UU UK

Published online in Wiley Online Library(wileyonlinelibrary.com)

DOI : 10.1002/ldr.1054

land degradation & development

Land Degrad. Develop. (2010)

Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.