Access the training here.
We often hear from organizations that they are interested in conducting a natural capital assessment, but are worried that the process is prohibitively complex and technical.
This perception was identified as one of the top barriers to a broader scaling of natural capital approaches in business for the second year in a row in the Coalition’s annual survey.
But is it really true?
At its heart, a natural capital approach is simply a conceptual frame for understanding how we impact and depend on nature. Better and more holistic information in this area enables us to make better and more informed decisions that deliver value for nature and society alongside traditional business value.
Because we’re trying to make informed decisions, the decision we’re trying to inform should guide the depth of a natural capital assessment. Not every choice needs to be underpinned by a rigorous technical process.
In this interactive, hypothetical case study, we’ve used a practical example – an option appraisal – to guide you through a light assessment, and to explore how much can be achieved with limited resources.
Through a series of videos, you will be asked to assume the role of a sustainability or strategy executive, and to make recommendations on where your organization should make its next acquisition.
We will walk you through the stages and steps involved in conducting a natural capital assessment, following the standardized decision-making framework used when making many business decisions: Why? What? How? And, what next?
This exercise will be useful for any decision-maker looking to start to understand their relationship with nature, improve their decision-making processes, and identify risks and opportunities for their organizations.
Whatever sector you work in, and whatever decision you’re looking to inform, understanding your relationship with nature through the approach outlined will help you to take decisions that deliver value for nature and society, alongside your business.
You can take the online interactive training here.
See what the experts are saying:
Eva Zabey, Director, Redefining Value, WBCSD: “If you’re wondering how to start on your natural capital journey, this video series is for you: it’s accessible, interactive and grounded in business. The well-structured overview of key concepts and tools and the use of a hypothetical example throughout make this a valuable resource for all companies wanting to understand, assess and manage their relationship with nature.”
Salman Hussain, TEEB Coordinator, UN Environment: “Businesses are typically unaware of the impacts they have on nature and also their dependency on well-functioning ecosystems. As such, aside from ‘doing the right thing’ in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility, there is a strong business case for valuing nature. This Natural Capital Protocol Training sets out in a concise and practical manner the opportunities arising from conducting monetary, quantitative and qualitative valuation to inform decision-making.”
Angelina Kuokkanen, Coordinator, environmental responsibility and communications, Finnish Business & Society Network (FIBS): “I must say I really enjoyed it – especially the choose-your-own-adventure aspect of it. I found the videos to provide a low-threshold approach to the topic and the hypothetical case running throughout the videos in addition to having to make the decision in between the videos allowed me to understand the theme on a more practical level. Altogether going through the site took less than half an hour while providing the participant with a well-rounded picture of the core themes of natural capital thinking.”
