diverse region, one of the most beautiful places in
the world, would consciously decide to sell itself
short by depleting its residents’ quality of life.
Sure biodiversity offsetting may look good on
paper if you avoid the fine print. But when you dig
into the deal a little deeper it doesn’t take a
microscope to realize - 2-for-1, 10-for-1, whatever
the ratio – biodiversity comes out on the losing
end.
When we eradicate biodiversity from where it
naturally occurs we can never restore it to its full
capacity.
As the old saying goes “if it sounds too good to be
true it probably is.”
Unfair as “free trade”, biodiversity offsetting
disguises the degradation it delivers using the
oldest trick in the big-box - replacing quality with
quantity.
Rather than trying to pull one over on us with a 2for-1 wetland sale, a more realistic pitch would
declare “URBAN SPRAWL FOR SALE: GET TWO
BRAND NEW ECOLOGICALLY DEPRAVED PLASTIC
PONDS FOR THE COST OF ONE ANCIENT WETLAND
AND NATURAL HUB OF BIODIVERSITY.”
N ate Smelle is affiliated with Greening N iagara, a
non-profit organization dedicated to ecological
sustainability and the sharing of knowledge / for
more information, please visit greeningniagara.ca
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