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Natural Capital and Ecological Ecosystem Services: Methods of Measuring Socio-economic Value of Nature

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Responsible Consumption and Production

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Definition

Natural capital (NC), in general terms, is an economic metaphor for the stock of physical and biological natural resources. According to the Natural Capital Forum (2018), it can be defined as the “world’s stocks of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things.” In other words, it is everything that gives people the “basic building blocks of society”: healthy soils to provide food, raw materials needed for buildings and clothes, fresh water to drink, and clean air to breathe (Definition of European Commission 2018).

Taking into consideration the character of NC components, which can be either nonrenewable or renewable, and their role in the existence of human beings, it is usually divided into two groups: critical (nonrenewable and non-replaceable, crucial for the human survival on Earth) and noncritical, which can sometimes be substituted by elements of human-made capital (Ekins et al. 2003; De Groot et al. 2003).

Introduction

Natural capital...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Economics and Space Management, Jan Amos Komeński State School of Higher Vocational Education, Leszno, Poland

    Aleksandra Machnik

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  1. Aleksandra Machnik
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Correspondence to Aleksandra Machnik .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability Science and Research, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, The University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökçin özuyar

  5. University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

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Machnik, A. (2020). Natural Capital and Ecological Ecosystem Services: Methods of Measuring Socio-economic Value of Nature. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., özuyar, P.G., Wall, T. (eds) Responsible Consumption and Production. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95726-5_44

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