The collapse of global ecosystems poses a high risk to the UK's national security and prosperity, government intelligence chiefs have warned. A new 14-page briefing paper titled Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security states that severe degradation or collapse of ecosystems brings risks such as food shortages, rising prices, global conflicts and new zoonotic diseases. The UK's food supply will be at risk without a significant increase in the domestic food system and a reduction in dependence on imports. The report highlights the strategic importance of six ecosystems to the UK: the Amazon rainforest, the Congolese rainforest, the boreal forests, the Himalayas, coral reefs and South East Asia's mangroves. These ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and support the climate, water and weather cycles on which food production depends.