NCI Dialogue: Natural Capital Monitoring

8th January 2016, 8:30 to 10:30 am
Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger Street, London, WC1N 2JU

Systematic monitoring of natural assets has been identified as a major challenge in prioritising actions and allocating resources for the protection and enhancement of our natural capital. NCI hosted a breakfast meeting focussing on natural capital monitoring and data on 8th January 2016 at Charles Darwin House in London. Chaired by Prof Rosie Hails, Director of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Science at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and former chair of NCI, over 80 attendees learned and discussed the availability of natural capital data as well as gaps, monitoring and data needs, and how these are currently being addressed by science, policy and business.

Speaker presentations:

Natural Capital Monitoring – A Science Perspective (804 KB pdf) (video recording)Professor Dame Georgina Mace, Professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Head of the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research at University College London, and member of the first Natural Capital Committee
Applying Data in Corporate Natural Capital Accounting (1,526 KB pdf) (video recording)- Mark Gough, Executive Director of the Natural Capital Coalition
Applying Data in National Natural Capital Accounting (735 KB pdf) (video recording) – Joe Grice, Chief Economist at the Office of National Statistics (ONS)

Video recording of Q&A session

Attendees learned where we are in terms of natural capital monitoring in the UK. The three experts spoke about the availability of data as well as gaps, monitoring and data needs, and how these are currently being addressed. They discussed how research, policy and business can support the closing of gaps, and progress on natural capital valuation and accounting despite these gaps. A Q&A session provided the audience with the opportunity to identify issues and potential solutions and debate these with the panel of speakers.

NCI is currently developing further activities on natural capital monitoring. If you would like to get involved please contact us.

 

 

Further resources:

The Natural Capital Protocol, being developed by the Natural Capital Coalition

Natural Capital User Guidance: ONS web pages poviding an overview of natural capital, upcoming work on measuring natural capital, past and upcoming events and seminars, and all related publications.

ONS Natural Capital Accounting 2020 Road Map: Interim Review and Forward Look. (672.7 Kb Pdf)
This Review and Forward Look offers an introduction to accounting for the value of nature in the UK, assesses achievements in the two years since publication of the Roadmap, outlines various challenges, and sets out priorities for the next phase of  the Roadmap.

Georgina M. Mace, Rosemary S. Hails, Philip Cryle, Julian Harlow and Stewart J. Clarke (2015): Review: Towards a risk register for natural capital. Journal of Applied Ecology. Volume 52, Issue 3, pages 641–653, June 2015. Full article.

Natural Capital Committee (2014): Towards a Framework for Defining and Measuring Changes in Natural Capital. Working Paper 1. March 2014.

Natural Capital Committee (2015): Advice to Government on Research Priorities.