Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur eleifend tortor nec augue pretium
There are costs when exploiting nature without paying attention to how much is used and to what effect, including risks associated with overexploitation, resource scarcity and climate change.
However, there are also financial costs involved in maintaining and enhancing nature to ensure that these critical services can continue.
The concept of natural capital is gaining in popularity, but is not yet widely or fully understood. This is why IEMA has produced a paper for its members, Natural Capital 101 – Insights for Sustainability Professionals.
The paper examines the concepts and approaches related to natural capital, using accessible language and frameworks to promote a common understanding among practitioners. It discusses what natural capital is and the benefits of taking a natural capital approach, as well as what a natural capital assessment looks like and valuing capital. It also offers a basic introduction to accounting.
The paper is not a detailed ‘how to’, but looks at good overall processes with examples, tips for success, key terms and lots of links to useful sites and additional resources.
Anyone can do a natural capital assessment – even if it is basic. An organisation can start by describing natural capital stocks and identifying potential ecosystem services that nature can provide, before going on to identify the aims of the assessment and undertaking quantitative assessments.
Natural Capital 101 will help sustainability professionals understand their organisation’s impact on nature and increase its resilience for the good of their business, people and the planet.
Natural Capital 101 explains key concepts. Visit www.bit.ly/Natural-capital-101 to download the full report