Measuring the value of groundwater and other forms of natural capital

We present a guiding quantitative framework enabling natural capital valuation that is fully consistent with capital theory, accounts for biophysical and economic feedbacks, and can guide interdisciplinary efforts to measure sustainability. We illustrate this framework with an application to groundwater in the Kansas High Plains Aquifer, a rapidly depleting asset supporting significant food production.  Kansas lost approximately $110 million per year (2005 US dollars) of capital value through groundwater withdrawal and changes in aquifer management during the decade spanning 1996–2005.

Date:
2016
Publisher:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Author(s):
Eli P. Fenichel, Joshua K. Abbott, Jude Bayham, Whitney Boone, Erin M. K. Haacker, Lisa Pfeiffer
Details:
Technical Report
Language:
English
Topic:
Water