Circular economy as an instrument of nature conservation

The exponential growth of human population results in the increased demand of natural resources, which leads to the accelerated degradation of natural ecosystems causing the unstoppable destabilization of the biosphere. Given the fact that the future of humankind is directly correlated with the level and quality of ecosystem services (ES), the increasing exploitation of natural resources is often followed by the enhanced struggle for its preservation. According to the report of the Tenth Meeting of the States Parties to the Biodiversity Convention held in Nagoya in 2010, the goal was to protect 17% of land and 10% of marine ecosystems by 2020. Also, according to the study of the Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB, 2010), the establishment of the protected areas network covering around 15% of the land and 30% of marine ecosystems would cost $ 45 billion. On the other hand, global experts estimate that at the same time these areas would provide ES worth more than $ 4.4 billion, suggesting that the investment in nature protection is cost-effective.