Putting a value on nature

I've harped on about the value of the natural world in previous posts. I recently came across a TED talk that really pins down not only the value of nature's services, but also the hidden costs of their use to society. But I'll let the gentleman in question, Pavan Sukhdev, speak for himself. Enjoy:

The Business of Marine Reserves: Achieving Financially Sustainable Ocean Conservation

Rod Fujita is Director of Research and Development, Oceans Program, with the Environmental Defense Fund. This piece was originally published on May 1 on the Environmental Defense Fund blog.

Ocean conservationists have been arguing for a long time that marine reserves are a good investment, because they help sustain many ecosystem services, including fisheries and tourism. Various studies have helped to quantify the value generated by marine reserves, but a new study puts it all together and presents a convincing value proposition for marine reserves. Now all we need are investors who can appreciate that value proposition and make it work economically, and the right combination of rules and governance that will make these new kinds of markets – ecomarkets – viable.