[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7034\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe business of biodiversity: can we put a value on nature?\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concept of quantifying these so-called ecosystem services, which has grown in recent years, has proved controversial for some environmentalists who oppose reducing nature to numbers. Others see it as a way to get businesses and policymakers to account for nature to make better decisions that preserve biodiversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFirst, though, working out what ecosystem services we have, and how much of them, requires mapping where they are. To aid this process, a project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/193873\/factsheet\/en\u0022\u003EESMERALDA\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;tested tools and methods to help decision-makers map and assess ecosystem services across Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe end result is an open access\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/maes-explorer.eu\/\u0022\u003Eonline tool\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;that provides full guidance for mapping and assessing ecosystem services.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The key message is to show the human dependence on functioning nature. Everything that we get and receive is related to ecosystems and their functions, and biodiversity,\u2019 said Professor Benjamin Burkhard, a geographer at Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany, and project coordinator of ESMERALDA.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If we can really show how much a tree, for example, provides us with fresh air or how much carbon it\u2019s sequestering, I think we will have more appreciation of nature\u2019s contribution in society and decision-making,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELand use\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EESMERALDA\u2019s approach takes into account three areas \u2013 biophysical,\u0026nbsp;which refers to physical factors such as land use or volume of greenhouse gases \u2013\u0026nbsp;sociocultural and economic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn its \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.maes-explorer.eu\/page\/overview_of_esmeralda_case_studies\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ecountry case studies\u003C\/a\u003E, ESMERALDA assessed different ways of\u0026nbsp;valuing the three areas. For example, a study on Germany\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.maes-explorer.eu\/files\/ckeditor\/FlGYcuyo1YsDMwx7Dm8x9XPNr5sMqPRwa1PkFziy.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EBornh\u00f6ved Lakes District\u003C\/a\u003E combined biophysical data such as crop volumes and numbers of pollinators with sociocultural information including a survey of people on the aesthetic values of landscapes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Burkhard says that a wide-ranging assessment is important to obtain a full picture. \u2018It doesn\u2019t help you to only have an economic value, but it also doesn\u2019t help you to only have a social value. You need to have the whole set of biophysical, social and economic values for a perfect assessment,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018I\u2019m an ecologist and would be happier if people were convinced just by having nice nature and lots of species \u2013 but this is not the way the world works at the moment, and usually the most convincing argument is money.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Benjamin Burkhard, geographer, Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the thorny issue of attaching economic values to nature, he says this approach can help raise awareness among policymakers and businesses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I think it\u2019s at least a good tool to convince many people,\u2019 he said. \u2018I\u2019m an ecologist and would be happier if people were convinced just by having nice nature and lots of species \u2013 but this is not the way the world works at the moment and usually the most convincing argument is money.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Burkhard says that awareness among EU decision makers about ecosystem services has grown over the course of the three-and-a-half-year project, which ended last July. The next stage for upcoming projects will be to start applying the ESMERALDA methodology in real-life situations, such as\u0026nbsp;policymaking at a national level on issues such as agriculture, or local spatial planning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Guy Duke at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) valuing the world\u2019s natural capital \u2013 its stock of natural assets \u2013 could help businesses make more environmentally sustainable decisions. However, he says that we are only at the \u2018tip of the iceberg\u2019 in terms of the number of companies that have started to understand and address this. \u2018There\u2019s a very long way to go,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuke leads the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/219525\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EWe Value Nature\u003C\/a\u003E campaign which seeks to encourage businesses to embed the value of nature into their decision-making and apply the Natural Capital Protocol. This is a global set of standards that allows businesses to identify, measure and value what role natural capital plays in their business. The project is run by ICAEW, and other organisations that are part of the international collaboration, the Natural Capital Coalition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECatalyst\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We see our role very much as a catalyst of this idea,\u2019 said Duke. \u2018There has been a sea change in recent years, with the whole paradigm of natural capital finding its way into the policy space and business.\u2019 \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince launching last November, the project has started reviewing barriers and bottlenecks that impede businesses from investing in natural capital, with training to be later developed for companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuke says one aim is to identify industry sectors in which action will bring the most benefit to nature, followed by specific businesses in those sectors and then individuals with the most influence on shaping decisions that affect natural capital and biodiversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERichard Spencer, head of sustainability at ICAEW, believes the approach is necessary. \u2018To get business to grasp the quite perilous position we\u2019re getting to, you\u2019ve got to couch it in terms that people such as finance directors understand,\u2019 he said. \u2018If it\u2019s economically invisible, people don\u2019t make decisions about it.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpencer says some companies have recognised, for example, that restoring wetlands acts as an effective flood defence, thus saving money.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENature\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpencer stresses that the project is not about attaching a single price that commoditises nature but about ascribing a value through a mix of descriptive information and numbers to build a complete story. \u2018We never, ever put a price on nature,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENatural capital is, however, far from an easy bedfellow of biodiversity and the term has provoked fierce debate among environmental activists such as the British campaigner\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2018\/may\/15\/price-natural-world-destruction-natural-capital\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EGeorge Monbiot\u003C\/a\u003E who argue that the concept is not only wrong, but counterproductive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Berta Mart\u00edn-L\u00f3pez, a professor for sustainability science at the Leuphana University of L\u00fcneburg, Germany, who worked on an earlier ecosystem services project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/105523\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EOpenNESS\u003C\/a\u003E, warns future biodiversity programmes against putting too much stock in monetary value as a whole.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018To me, the homogenisation of world views to only one simplistic view that fits with the mindset of monetary values and capitalism is the most dangerous pressure for biodiversity,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018By expressing values of nature only in monetary terms, we are not only overlooking the plural ways by which people give importance to nature, but also neglect multiple actors\u2019 voices and their needs and interests.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Mart\u00edn-L\u00f3pez highlighted that nature goes far beyond just providing basic services \u2013 it also offers intangible, non-material benefits that cannot be valued in monetary terms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The multiple ways by which people develop relationships with nature contribute to the construction of our cultural identity, sense of place and belonging,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe approaches that will pave the way for the future, she says, are those that \u2018foster a diversity of world views\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Ecosystems provide us with many of our basic needs, such as clean air, food and water. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 height=\u00221163\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/Ecosystems_0.png\u0022 title=\u0022Ecosystems provide us with many of our basic needs, such as clean air, food and water. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EEcosystems provide us with many of our basic needs, such as clean air, food and water. Image credit - Horizon\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EThe issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EValuing the services that we get from nature can also provide a new source of solutions to some of today\u0027s most pressing issues such as urbanisation and pollution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIncorporating more natural features such as trees, parks, green roofs and walls, and water features into Europe\u0027s cities, for example, could help to cool the climate, improve air quality and restore habitats and biodiversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU supports research into \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/research\/environment\/index.cfm?pg=nbs\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Enature-based solutions\u003C\/a\u003E in order to encourage their development and uptake, with a particular focus on re-naturing cities and territorial resilience.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-klza3fgtggwami78lcooprz-zirpl4saqlyi-1nzplq\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-KLzA3FGtgGwAMI78LcoOPrz_ziRPl4SAQlYi_1nZplQ\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]