Natural capital has both private and public dimensions that are reflected in different perceptions, management and decision-making approaches. These differences often lead to overuse and poor management of natural capital – often referred to as the tragedy of the commons – at both global and local scales.
A key feature of the differences between public and private approaches to natural capital concerns the language that is used to describe and discuss the relevant environmental stocks and flows. Central to improving the management of natural capital is having a common language to define, measure and report on it.
There is now an opportunity to combine forces natural capital thinking and assessment, leverage the strength of the support from the public and private sectors for two key approaches, the Natural Capital Protocol (NCP) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) and seek to understand the opportunities and synergies of these approaches both with each other and with the wide range of other approaches in this space.
This workshop is one part of a broader program of work to engage widely on the subject of natural capital. The primary objectives are to:
- Broaden the understanding of the breadth of different approaches to natural capital
- Establish the benefits that might be obtained from combining forces on natural capital
- Identify the barriers to combining private and public sector approaches to natural capital thinking and assessment
- Identify opportunities and activities that can be undertaken in the short to medium term to overcome those barriers and demonstrate the benefits of combining forces to both the public and private sector.
Workshop participants are encouraged to visit the Natural Capital Coalition’s Combining Forces page for additional background and resources, especially concerning the potential linkages between NCP and SEEA.