[RWebb]

one cost of biodiversity loss is not being able to develop new medicines in the future

another includes things like flooding, desertification, inability to get products (e.g. coffee) out of agro-ecosystems

all are very hard to quantify

the big thing I see in the article, missed by all posting, is that 3rd world poverty areas are doing better than before (on an absolute basis - tho at 0.10 of developed areas, where they were are 0.25)