About Natural Capital

‘Natural capital‘ is the world’s stock of natural resources which are essential for people: these include geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms.

These assets provide us with a wide range of goods and services which underpin our economy and communities – ‘ecosystem services‘.

These are the gifts nature gives us.

Examples of ecosystem services are:

• economic resources we use such as water, timber or food
• the role plants and trees play in removing pollutants from the atmosphere
• the contribution habitats in the upper catchment of rivers can make to protecting urban areas downstream from flooding
• our income from local tourism
• the health benefits people gain from spending time in the outdoors.