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As the world's largest lender for the environment, concern for global environmental sustainability is an essential part of the World Bank’s mission to fight poverty. The most biodiversity-rich areas on the planet are found in some of the world’s poorest nations. It is the poor and the poorest of the poor who suffer disproportionately from environmental degradation, often because of lack of other options.
Biological resources provide the raw materials for livelihoods, subsistence, agriculture, trade, medicines, and industrial development. Natural habitats and ecosystems provide services such as maintaining high quality water resources, and coastal protection that reduce human vulnerability to natural hazards, such as droughts and hurricanes. Forests, grasslands, and aquatic habitats also provide benefits of global value such as carbon sequestration, nutrient and hydrological cycling, and biodiversity conservation.
The IUCN World Conservation Congress is a valuable opportunity for the global community to come together to address these very serious issues. For more information on the Congress, please see the website:
http://www.iucn.org/congress/index.cfm
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