Natural Capital Project

The Natural Capital Project (NatCap) is a partnership among 250 groups around the world that has developed a systematic approach to weighing nature’s benefits. By placing a value on nature in the context of resource allocation, NatCap is influencing policy, finance and management decisions worldwide.{{Cite web|url=https://news.stanford.edu/2017/10/19/gretchen-daily-collects-blue-planet-prize/|title=Environmental work earns Gretchen Daily the Blue Planet Prize|last=Stein|first=Vicky|date=2017-10-19|publisher=Stanford News|access-date=2018-01-16}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/collaborators/|title=Natural Capital Project - Our Collaborators|access-date=2018-01-16}}

NatCap is led from a global hub at Stanford University in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, the Institute on the Environment of the University of Minnesota, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2019-02-26-stockholm-resilience-centre-joins-natural-capital-project-partnership.html|title=Stockholm Resilience Centre joins Natural Capital Project partnership|date=March 2019|website=Stockholm Resilience Centre|access-date=March 28, 2019}} It was launched in 2005.{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2010/09/22/stanford-professor-uses-software-to-value-nature/#12799a561ee3|title=Stanford Professor Uses Software To Value Nature|last=Dolan|first=Kerry|date=2010-09-22|accessdate=2018-01-16|work=Forbes}}

NatCap engages leaders in governments, corporations, universities and other non-profit organizations, and melds its research with initiatives that benefit both nature and the economy.{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-tercek/valuing-nature-qa-with-gr_b_7589300.html|title=Valuing Nature: Q&A with Gretchen Daily|last=Tercek|first=Mark|date=2015-06-15|accessdate=2018-01-16|publisher=HuffPost}} Nature's value is measured in terms of specific benefits, such as human health, economic development, food security and culture.{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-dillon/nature-our-most-important_b_11820846.html|title=Nature: Our Most Important "Bank Account"|last=Dillon|first=Tom|date=2016-09-02|accessdate=2018-01-16|publisher=HuffPost}} {{Cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/06/17/study-finds-chinas-ecosystems-have-become-healthier/|title=Study Finds China's Ecosystems Have Become Healthier|last=Chen|first=Te-Ping|date=2016-06-17|accessdate=2018-01-16|publisher=The Wall Street Journal}}{{Cite news|url=https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2009/01/30/producers-notes-putting-a-price-on-nature/ |title= Putting a Price on Nature |date=2009-01-30|accessdate=2018-01-17|publisher=KQED|first=Lauren|last=Sommer}} While NatCap's approach has garnered broad support, not everyone agrees with the methodology of putting a monetary value on nature.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/09/forget-the-environment-new-words-lifes-wonders-language|title= Forget 'the environment': we need new words to convey life's wonders |date=2017-08-09|accessdate=2018-01-19|publisher=The Guardian|first=George|last=Monbiot}}

The Natural Capital Project has developed a free, open-source software tool called InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs). It allows farmers, landowners and government officials to make better-informed decisions about the current and future costs of an activity.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/international/2010/01/18/price-fixing|title=Price fixing, Why it is important to put a price on nature|date=2010-01-18|accessdate=2018-10-03|publisher=The Economist}} InVEST is used in more than 185 countries to map and model valuable ecological resources, assess trade-offs in land- and water-use, and integrate both conservation and human development into investments. {{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2010/10/29/name-you-need-to-know-natural-capital-project/#7a4501aa1f57|title=Names You Need To Know In 2011: Natural Capital Project|last=Dolan|first=Kerry|date=2010-10-29|accessdate=2018-01-16|work=Forbes}} {{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/science/09profile.html|title=An Economist for Nature Calculates the Need for More Protection|last=Moir|first=John|date=2011-08-11|accessdate=2018-01-16|work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/|title=Natural Capital Project - InVEST|access-date=2018-01-16}}