If you're going to make a bold statement, you might be tempted to use a lot of words. Perhaps you'll quote grand people from history. You might even want to pop an exclamation mark on the end of your pronunciation. But you shouldn't always be tempted to go so far. Sometimes, a simple statement can be loaded with bold meaning. Let me try one on you: Nature matters. When I first read these two words the other day, I couldn't help but agree. But it made me think: why does it matter? I know why it matters to me, and my life would be a whole lot poorer without nature in it. But why does it matter for my neighbours, or the people I sit next to on the bus? Well, not least because it does things for us that make this world a decent place to live: climate control, flood protection, clean water, and healthy soils – all of these are reasons why nature matters. They're hidden reasons, but they're very good reasons. Here's a more obvious one: it matters because contact with the natural world can enrich our lives. It makes us feel better. If you visit a nature reserve, go for a stroll in the countryside, or even just spend a bit of time in your garden, you're likely to feel this benefit. There are other important things in the world. Economic prosperity, industrial progress, financial growth – however you phrase it, all these things matter too. And in times of economic turmoil, they can appear to matter an awful lot. But are they mutually exclusive to the cares we have for the natural world? Do we need to put the environment to one side, in favour of material wealth? Thankfully, we don't think so. It's why we use the term 'sustainable development'. It's the process by which things can change for the better without trashing natural resources, and diminishing the services nature provides. And it's why we've launched a report today, 'Think Nature', to make it clear why the natural world needs to be put at the heart of political decision making, if we're to halt the loss of our wildlife and wild places. Politicians are looking for a way out of the current financial crisis, and we must show them why continued investment in wildlife makes sense. We need to urge them against an economic recovery plan that sacrifices wildlife for economic progress. In simple terms, we want governments to invest in things our children will thank us for. That's not many words, and there's no exclamation mark - but what bolder statement could we wish for than that?