A guide to natural capital

Natural capital represents the physical assets and processes of the natural environment, which provides us with the resources we need to survive.

Our economic system in its current form depletes natural resources while producing waste at an unsustainable rate. As we continue to remove and damage natural assets without taking steps to preserve, protect or regenerate them, we jeopardise the benefits nature provides.

These concerns have increased the global focus on natural capital, presenting opportunities to invest in assets that contribute to its preservation, while producing positive returns.

In this guide to natural capital, we:

• Describe natural capital’s investment characteristics.

• Explain how it can fit into portfolios.

• Lay out the three main groups of investment opportunities that we’ve identified.

You can read the first publication in this series, 'Seeing the wood for the trees', here.

If you have any questions on anything covered, please get in touch.