UK economic growth depends on the health of our ecosystems

Future economic growth will be undermined unless we understand the full value of the natural world on which our wealth, health and well-being depend.

This is one of the messages from the UK’s first National Ecosystem Assessment report, published earlier this month (June). 

The report highlights the considerable economic value of our environment and also shows the environment's very real benefits to health, community and wellbeing - things that are beyond price.

Until now, the many services and benefits provided by natural processes have been ignored or degraded because their economic, social and even spiritual value falls outside traditional economics. The National Ecosystem Assessment develops new ways of assessing and valuing so-called ecosystem services so that we can make our current economic and business models more robust.

Economist, Ian Bateman, is one of over 500 experts from many different fields of knowledge who have contributed to this undertaking. In our interview, Ian explains what the services are that nature provides and why you would want to put a monetary value on these services.