Natural Capital
The true worth of our natural world is still being discovered.
With partners around the world, Stanford researchers are co-developing knowledge and strategies with decision-makers to support sustainable development, pioneering tools and community-led programs designed to maximize benefits for people and the planet. By quantifying and mapping how Earth’s lands, waters, and biodiversity support – or could support – society’s needs, we can drive further investments in these ecosystem services. Through initiatives like the Natural Capital Alliance (formerly the Natural Capital Project), Stanford researchers are integrating scientific and economic understanding of our natural assets into policy and investment decisions; developing free, open-access, practical software-based tools; and training users and collaborators around the world. This approach holds the promise of transforming how governments, international financial institutions, and businesses factor the values of nature into policy and decision-making.