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Natural capital : estimating the value of natural capital in the Credit River watershed / Mike Kennedy and Jeff Wilson.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: Drayton Valley, AB : Pembina Institute, 2009.Description: viii, 53 p. : ill. (some col.), map ; 28 cmISBN:
  • 189739019X
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • HC117 .C7 K455 2009
Online resources:
Contents:
1. Introduction -- The importance of accounting for natural capital -- Ecological services and the Credit River watershed -- Significance of ecological services -- Purpose of the report -- Outline of the report -- 2. The Credit River watershed -- Geographic context of the Credit River watershed -- Land use in the Credit River watershed -- Ecological land classification and land cover -- Threats to natural capital in the Credit River watershed - - 3. Study approach -- Natural capital valuation framework -- Land cover classes and use in this analysis -- Benefit transfer procedure -- An example of the method used in this report -- Study limitations -- 4. Value of natural capital in the Credit River watershed -- Value of natural capital flows by ecological service -- Value of natural capital flows by land cover type -- Natural capital stock value by land cover type -- Value of natural capital flows by subwatershed -- 5. Scenario analysis -- Future land-use change scenarios -- Results of the scenario analysis -- Limitations of the scenario analysis -- 6. Discussion, conclusions and recommendations -- Summary -- Recommendations -- Conclusions -- Appendix: overview of natural capital -- Natural capital and ecological services -- Importance of natural capital to decision-making -- Importance of natural capital to commerce
Summary: The Credit River Watershed provides a minimum of $371 million in ecological services annually to area residents. Without nature, humans could not survive. Nature provides the raw materials for every product we consume. More importantly, it constantly supplies services that sustain life, such as fresh drinking water, food and clean air. Nature directly affects human wellbeing by meeting a wide variety of human needs, whether from tangible ecological services or from more abstract connections to nature. Unfortunately, current accounting systems rarely, if ever, account for nature. In fact, we often assume nature provides unlimited resources. We act as if the bank of nature has unlimited resources, and we keep making withdrawals as if there is no tomorrow. By accounting for natural capital we can start to align our economic ambitions with our ethical environmental responsibility, to provide future generations with at least the same benefits from nature that we enjoy

"November 2009."

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Introduction -- The importance of accounting for
natural capital -- Ecological services and the Credit
River watershed -- Significance of ecological services --
Purpose of the report -- Outline of the report -- 2. The
Credit River watershed -- Geographic context of the Credit
River watershed -- Land use in the Credit River watershed
-- Ecological land classification and land cover --
Threats to natural capital in the Credit River watershed -
- 3. Study approach -- Natural capital valuation framework
-- Land cover classes and use in this analysis -- Benefit
transfer procedure -- An example of the method used in
this report -- Study limitations -- 4. Value of natural
capital in the Credit River watershed -- Value of natural
capital flows by ecological service -- Value of natural
capital flows by land cover type -- Natural capital stock
value by land cover type -- Value of natural capital flows
by subwatershed -- 5. Scenario analysis -- Future land-use
change scenarios -- Results of the scenario analysis --
Limitations of the scenario analysis -- 6. Discussion,
conclusions and recommendations -- Summary --
Recommendations -- Conclusions -- Appendix: overview of
natural capital -- Natural capital and ecological services
-- Importance of natural capital to decision-making --
Importance of natural capital to commerce

The Credit River Watershed provides a minimum of $371
million in ecological services annually to area residents.
Without nature, humans could not survive. Nature provides
the raw materials for every product we consume. More
importantly, it constantly supplies services that sustain
life, such as fresh drinking water, food and clean air.
Nature directly affects human wellbeing by meeting a wide
variety of human needs, whether from tangible ecological
services or from more abstract connections to nature.
Unfortunately, current accounting systems rarely, if ever,
account for nature. In fact, we often assume nature
provides unlimited resources. We act as if the bank of
nature has unlimited resources, and we keep making
withdrawals as if there is no tomorrow. By accounting for
natural capital we can start to align our economic
ambitions with our ethical environmental responsibility,
to provide future generations with at least the same
benefits from nature that we enjoy

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