The importance of natural capital

Natural Capital includes the natural assets of the Earth (soil, air, water, flora and fauna) and the services of the derived ecosystems that make human life possible. Natural Capital goods and services are valued at billions of dollars each year and provide food, fiber, water, health, energy, climate security and other essential services for all. None of these services, nor the constituent assets of the Natural Capital that produces them, are adequately identified, measured and valued in comparison with “traditional capital” (financial capital, manufactured capital, intellectual capital, social capital and human capital).