# Natural Capital Project

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The **Natural Capital Project** (NatCap) is a partnership among 250 groups around the world that has developed a systematic approach to weighing nature’s benefits. By placing a value on nature in the context of resource allocation, NatCap is influencing policy, finance and management decisions worldwide.[1][2]

NatCap is led from a global hub at [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) in collaboration with [The Nature Conservancy](/source/The_Nature_Conservancy), [World Wildlife Fund](/source/World_Wildlife_Fund), the [Institute on the Environment](/source/Institute_on_the_Environment) of the [University of Minnesota](/source/University_of_Minnesota), the [Stockholm Resilience Centre](/source/Stockholm_Resilience_Centre), and the [Chinese Academy of Sciences](/source/Chinese_Academy_of_Sciences).[3] It was launched in 2005.[1][4]

NatCap engages leaders in governments, corporations, universities and other non-profit organizations, and melds its research with initiatives that benefit both nature and the economy.[5] Nature's value is measured in terms of specific benefits, such as human health, economic development, food security and culture.[6][7][8] While NatCap's approach has garnered broad support, not everyone agrees with the methodology of putting a monetary value on nature.[9]

The Natural Capital Project has developed a free, open-source software tool called InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs). It allows farmers, landowners and government officials to make better-informed decisions about the current and future costs of an activity.[10] InVEST is used in more than 185 countries to map and model valuable ecological resources, assess trade-offs in land- and water-use, and integrate both conservation and human development into investments.[1][11][12][13]

## References

1. Stein, Vicky (2017-10-19). ["Environmental work earns Gretchen Daily the Blue Planet Prize"](https://news.stanford.edu/2017/10/19/gretchen-daily-collects-blue-planet-prize/). Stanford News. Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. ["Natural Capital Project - Our Collaborators"](https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/collaborators/). Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. ["Stockholm Resilience Centre joins Natural Capital Project partnership"](https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2019-02-26-stockholm-resilience-centre-joins-natural-capital-project-partnership.html). *Stockholm Resilience Centre*. March 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.

1. Dolan, Kerry (2010-09-22). ["Stanford Professor Uses Software To Value Nature"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2010/09/22/stanford-professor-uses-software-to-value-nature/#12799a561ee3). *[Forbes](/source/Forbes)*. Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. Tercek, Mark (2015-06-15). ["Valuing Nature: Q&A with Gretchen Daily"](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-tercek/valuing-nature-qa-with-gr_b_7589300.html). [HuffPost](/source/HuffPost). Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. Dillon, Tom (2016-09-02). ["Nature: Our Most Important "Bank Account""](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-dillon/nature-our-most-important_b_11820846.html). [HuffPost](/source/HuffPost). Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. Chen, Te-Ping (2016-06-17). ["Study Finds China's Ecosystems Have Become Healthier"](https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/06/17/study-finds-chinas-ecosystems-have-become-healthier/). [The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal). Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. Sommer, Lauren (2009-01-30). ["Putting a Price on Nature"](https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2009/01/30/producers-notes-putting-a-price-on-nature/). [KQED](/source/KQED_Inc.). Retrieved 2018-01-17.

1. Monbiot, George (2017-08-09). ["Forget 'the environment': we need new words to convey life's wonders"](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/09/forget-the-environment-new-words-lifes-wonders-language). [The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian). Retrieved 2018-01-19.

1. ["Price fixing, Why it is important to put a price on nature"](https://www.economist.com/international/2010/01/18/price-fixing). [The Economist](/source/The_Economist). 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-03.

1. Dolan, Kerry (2010-10-29). ["Names You Need To Know In 2011: Natural Capital Project"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2010/10/29/name-you-need-to-know-natural-capital-project/#7a4501aa1f57). *[Forbes](/source/Forbes)*. Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. Moir, John (2011-08-11). ["An Economist for Nature Calculates the Need for More Protection"](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/science/09profile.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 2018-01-16.

1. ["Natural Capital Project - InVEST"](https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/). Retrieved 2018-01-16.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Natural Capital Project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Capital_Project) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Capital_Project?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.