Natural Capital

Capital has often been thought of narrowly as physical capital the machines, tools, and equipment used in the production of other goods, but our wealth and wellbeing also relies on natural capital. If we forget this, we risk degrading the services that natural ecosystems provide, which support our economies and sustain our lives. These services include purifying our water, regulating our climate, reducing flood risk, and pollinating our crops. The Natural Capital Project, a partnership between WWF, the Nature Conservancy, University of Minnesota, and Stanford University, works to provide decision-makers with reliable ways to assess the true value of the services that ecosystems provide. An essential element of the Natural Capital Project is developing tools that help decision-makers protect biodiversity and ecosystem services.