Prince Charles urges nature-based economic development

2021-10-12 09:05:49 GMT2021-10-12 17:05:49(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

KUNMING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Prince Charles on Tuesday called on the international community to protect and restore biodiversity and take a nature-based approach to develop the world economy.

"We need, above all, to remember that nature's own economy provides services to our global economy that are worth around 125 trillion (U.S. dollars) a year," Prince Charles said in a video message to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Known as COP15, the conference kicked off Monday in Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Appealing to the world to put nature at the heart of the economy, Prince Charles said, "Building conservation and nature-based solutions into our asset base and supply chains, at home and abroad, fuels restoration efforts and offers significant economic growth and employment opportunities."

His understanding of the harmony between humans and nature resonates with Chinese culture. "As Chinese culture has long understood, our interrelationship with nature is critical for our own health and that of everything around us," he said.

"When we protect lands and ocean, we in fact protect ourselves: nature bounces back, bringing with her all the benefits on which life depends," he said.

Stressing that the world is running out of time on protecting biodiversity, he said, "I can only urge you to take the bold decisions that can regenerate hundreds of millions -- if not billions -- of hectares of degraded land throughout the world, thus protecting and restoring our planet's biodiversity and making nature the engine of our economies." Enditem

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