Marin Conservation League
Parks and Open Space Committee
2:30–4:30 pm
In-person/Zoom hybrid
Register via Zoom

Valuing Natural Capital: Understanding the Economic Benefits of Ecosystem Services

Jon Hecht, Principal Economist at Stantec, will present on the concept of natural capital and how evaluating and quantifying natural capital can help preserve ecosystems and achieve both environmental and economic objectives. Natural capital refers to natural assets and ecosystems that generate benefits for people, like clean air and water, food, flood protection, and climate regulation.

Jon will:

• Introduce natural capital, ecosystem stocks and flows, and the valuation of ecosystem services,
• Describe methods and approaches for estimating these values,
• Explain how different types of organizations can benefit from valuing natural capital and the ecosystem services that flow from it, including public trust agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private-sector organizations, and
• Present project examples in California and the western US.

Read about Stantec’s Natural Capital work. Learn more about natural capital and ecosystem services.