What is natural capital?
“Natural capital is the stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources (e.g. plants, animals, air, water, soils, minerals) that combine to yield a flow of benefits to people”
(Natural Capital Protocol, 2016)
Our economic and social systems are connected to, and depend on, nature.
Framing nature as natural capital helps us to understand these connections as impacts and dependencies, and to recognise that nature underpins our long-term prosperity.
This way of thinking has been around for over 40 years. While some areas of government and business are making excellent progress applying this approach, we need to do more. The environmental, social and economic challenges that our planet currently faces demand it of us.
We’ve put together this easy-to-read guide explaining the fundamentals of natural capital and natural capital accounting. It’s a great place to start your journey. Here’s what we cover:
- The integrated capitals
- Natural capital accounting
- Decluttering the natural capital space
- What is the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA)?
- Establishing a baseline
- Getting started with a Roadmap
Up next: The integrated capitals >
Got questions or want to know more? Connect with us.