What is natural capital?

Transcription

1 Natural Capital

2 What is natural capital? Natural capital is the world s stocks of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things. Ecosystem services: the services provided to us by various ecosystems including our food, clean water, plant materials, bees.

3 Examples of natural capital Timber Oil Coal Wildlife Fresh water Fruits Fish Biodiversity Wetlands Minerals Prairies Coral reefs Air quality Tundra Soils

4 Nature is priceless but not valueless. You can put an economic tag on aspects of nature. Examples Street trees in California provide $1 billion per year in ecosystem services through atmospheric regulation and flood prevention. Mexico s mangrove forests provide an annual $70 billion to the economy through storm protection, fisheries support, and ecotourism. From: But it is also assigning a value to things like a beautiful view, being able to go for a hike, or go fishing.

5 Ecosystem services approach to conservation An explicit focus on ecosystem services the benefits that humans receive from ecosystems presents an opportunity to achieve dual conservation and development goals.

6 An ecosystem services approach seeks to integrate ecosystem services into decision making by: using scientific assessment tools to understand people s dependence and impact on the services provided by ecosystems applying policy and finance mechanisms that incorporate ecosystem services and their values into the decisions made by governments, businesses, NGOs and individuals. From

7 Natural Capital: Wilderness Wilderness = land retaining its primeval character with the imprint of humans minimal or unnoticeable (dictionary). Roadless areas in the federal domain that have been designated by Congress (National Wilderness Preservation System established by the 1964 Wilderness Act). Little or no development or human activity, other than controlled recreation, is allowed in these specially protected areas (Department of the Interior). Burstall Pass, Kananaskis Park, Alberta Darren Foltinek

8 Wilderness in History 1626 Plymouth Colony passed ordinance regulating cutting and sale of timber. William Penn (17 th century) required one acre of forest be left wild for every five that were cleared Lewis & Clark transcontinental expedition. Henry David Thoreau (19 th century) believed preservation of wilderness was needed so people could draw inspiration from it Wilderness Act establishes National Wilderness Preservation System National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and National Trails System Act 2000 Wilderness areas exceed 104 million acres.

9 Wilderness why preserve it? Recreation Inspiration Therapy and healing Ecotourism industry Future economic options Benchmark of human impact on environment Part of heritage and national character Intrinsic value in and of itself Key for sustainable management Helps maintain air and water quality Preservation of biodiversity Protects margin of error

10 Wilderness Act of 1964 The Wilderness Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System with 9 million acres in 54 different parcels, mostly in Western states; it provided for designation of new wilderness areas. 95 million acres were designated in 708 parcels of land by Alaska led in designated wilderness with 57.6 million acres. The National Wilderness Preservation System is administered by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service.

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12 Natural capital (resources) is related to financial capital (e.g., logging, mining, trapping, farming). built capital (e.g., homes, stores, factories) cultural capital (e.g., cultural practices, spiritual meanings). Ecosystem services may be developed (e.g., clean water and air programs, carbon sequestration). Ecosystem services would include the ability of nature to assimilate waste, turn sunlight into edible plants, and create oxygen.

13 A Land Ethic "[A] land ethic changes the role of Homo Sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such. The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively: the land. A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity. It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value. By value, I of course mean something far broader than mere economic value; I mean value in the philosophical sense. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." Aldo Leopold ( ), A Sand County Almanac, 1949, pp. 239 ff.