This article is the executive summary of the report "Who should value nature?" published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). The author, Dario Kenner of Why Green Economy? says the big focus of current debates on natural capital is if we should value nature and how to do it.
From around the web
Conservation International Named Secretariat for Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa
December 13, 2014
Conservation International (CI) assumed the role of Secretariat of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa (GDSA) with the amending of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Botswana.
Valuing Natural Capital Essential to Business Survival
December 04, 2014
Speaking at the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development in Singapore, representatives from the environment and accountancy sectors told 450 delegates that understanding the value of natural capital - ecosystems which provide valuable goods and services - was necessary for companies to understand the risks associated with depleting it and the opportunities to be gained b
The Old Economic Models Don't Apply in the 21st Century
December 03, 2014
Jeffrey Sachs, Colombia University Professor and Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals, writes that for a long time the debate between free-market and Keynesian economics has raged. He says that in the 21st century we need a whole new way of considering the economy. The key is to reflect on six kinds of capital goods: business capital; infrastructure; human capital; intellectual capital; natural capital; and social capital.
FIve Takeaways from the World Parks Congress
November 21, 2014
This National Geographic article highlights the major takeaways from the World Parks Congress—a once-a-decade global forum on protected areas that drew more than 6,000 delegates from 170 countries to Sydney, Australia in mid-November 2014. Various speakers highlighted the need to maintain natural capital due to the fact that forty percent of the global economy is based on natural resources.
Empowering New Generations to Act
November 13, 2014
Paul Caballero, Senior Director of the World Bank's Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, blogs from the World Parks Congress in Sydney about tangible progress made since the last Congress 11 years ago. She points to the growing interest in natural capital accounting as a tool for countries to evaluate their natural resources and answer questions like: How much water do we have? And, what is happening to forest stocks?
Why We Should Be Investing in Protected Areas
November 11, 2014
Whether it is the ecosystem services that support the conditions for life, the natural resources necessary for the creation of products, or the business costs resulting from droughts, floods, reduced air and water quality or climate-related threats, business must be willing to explore investing in nature to protect its bottom lines.
World Governments Failing Earth's Ecosystems, Says Top Conservationist
November 09, 2014
In this Guardian article, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, director general of the IUCN, says political leaders have not properly embraced conservation and that governments are lagging behind on international commitments to safeguard the planet’s ecosystems, with politicians failing to grasp that economic growth depends upon environmental protection.
Economics: Account for Depreciation of Natural Capital
November 05, 2014
Economic indicators that omit the depletion and degradation of natural resources and ecosystems are misleading, warns Edward B. Barbier in this article in the journal Nature. Barbier illustrates this through a worked example of mangroves in Thailand. He says depreciation of natural capital is particularly high in developing economies, which are often rich in resources and ecosystems. He says measures of income and wealth should be retooled accordingly, starting with net domestic product.
The Economic Benefits of Protecting Wildlife
November 05, 2014
Policymakers are increasingly aware that wildlife can bring significant economic benefits to many countries, including the majority of Small Island Developing States and many developing countries heavily dependent on wildlife to generate tourism revenue, write Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP), and Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) in this