naturkapital
Naturkapital, or natural capital, is a concept in environmental economics that treats the stock of natural resources and ecosystems as capital assets that provide a flow of goods and services essential to human well-being. It encompasses non-living resources such as minerals and fossil energy, as well as living ecosystems like forests, soils, rivers, and biodiversity, together with processes such as climate regulation and pollination.
Natural capital yields ecosystem services—benefits humans obtain from the natural world. These are commonly grouped into
Measurement and accounting efforts seek to quantify stocks and flows of natural capital and to attach monetary
Naturkapital is subject to critique, including challenges in valuing complex ecosystems, distributional concerns, and the risk