Blog - Natural Capital Lab

Mar 8, 2018 / by David Hughes / In Latest News / Comments Off on Announcing the culmination of the Natural Capital Lab

Announcing the culmination of the Natural Capital Lab

TNS Canada is today announcing the culmination of its Natural Capital Lab (NCL) – a project launched in 2015 to catalyze and galvanize work on issues related to natural capital. Since its inception TNS Canada has used the synergistic power of the science of sustainability, systems thinking, and collaboration to help others accelerate the transition

Mar 6, 2018 / by administrator / In Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on When Worlds Collide – The Aftermath of My Experiences in the Natural Capital Lab

When Worlds Collide – The Aftermath of My Experiences in the Natural Capital Lab

It’s been my pleasure to be a part of the Natural Capital Lab’s (NCL) Innovation cohort. As a natural capital practitioner, it’s been a very worthwhile endeavour, and having the opportunity to express myself through a blog series on the Natural Capital Lab website has been an amazing opportunity to explore my somewhat unconventional views

Dec 12, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on Investing in Indigenous Societies Means Investing in Natural Capital

Investing in Indigenous Societies Means Investing in Natural Capital

Throughout different stages my life, I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with a number of Indigenous societies – both in Canada and abroad – and these experiences have had a profound effect on my perception of the natural world. When my Mom moved into a retirement home a couple of years ago, she

Oct 17, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on Reflections on Natural Capital – Why the Past Foretells the Present and Can Change the Future

Reflections on Natural Capital – Why the Past Foretells the Present and Can Change the Future

Technology is not my friend. I am, by my own admission, a “Functional Luddite” and generally prefer old ways to new. But I’m also realistic enough to know that we’ll never go back to the good old days. Despite this awkward arrangement – or perhaps as a result of it – I manage to learn

Aug 25, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on Investing in Nature – Natural Capital and the Case for Conservation

Investing in Nature – Natural Capital and the Case for Conservation

Four score and several blogs ago, I stated that “I wholeheartedly agree with my more radical ecologist brothers and sisters that we can’t assign an economic value to some things, like endangered species or biodiversity. All of the money in the world can’t bring back the Dodo, the Great Auk or dinosaurs, and it would

Jun 9, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on Socio-cultural Values of Natural Capital – Valuing the invaluable

Socio-cultural Values of Natural Capital – Valuing the invaluable

I left the Socio-cultural values discussion until the end of this valuation mini-series because I find that valuing the ecosystem services associated with them – namely Recreational and Cultural – quite challenging. As I indicated last month (albeit buried in the footnotes), I consider Recreational and Cultural ecosystem services to be “passive” consumptive services that

Apr 20, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Events / Comments Off on The Natural Capital Lab Presents: Pavan Sukhdev and Alexander Müller

The Natural Capital Lab Presents: Pavan Sukhdev and Alexander Müller

Here at the Natural Capital Lab, all of our discussions at some point require us to concede to the complex and seemingly chaotic dynamics of ecosystems and biodiversity. Despite our best efforts, we’ll never fully capture every input, indicator or relationship at play. Research on ecosystems and biodiversity is nothing new – but mapping the

Apr 18, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on The Ecology of Natural Capital – “Eco-logical” choices for valuation

The Ecology of Natural Capital – “Eco-logical” choices for valuation

I was watching the news the other morning, and it was being reported that two “priceless” Van Gogh paintings, valued at about $72 million, had been recovered and were finally being put back on display in Amsterdam((http://globalnews.ca/news/3324836/van-gogh-paintings-go-on-display-14-years-after-being-stolen-by-the-mafia/)). I thought this was great news but hey, wait a minute… As I chortled to myself at the

Mar 3, 2017 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on The rise and fall of the “benefit transfer” approach (and how ecology can save it)

The rise and fall of the “benefit transfer” approach (and how ecology can save it)

An economist and an ecologist walk into a bar. The economist buys a round of drinks, and asks the ecologist: “So, how do you feel about monetizing nature?” This is where the story usually ends. Why you ask? It’s because many ecologists simply refuse to enter into the discussion. And it’s not because we think that

Dec 15, 2016 / by Nancy Cruz / In Socio eco-cultural, Vince Deschamps / Comments Off on A day in the life – interacting with natural capital at work and play

A day in the life – interacting with natural capital at work and play

Vince Deschamps is an ecologist and Registered Professional Planner with over twenty-five years of professional practice, including living and working in protected areas in rural and remote parts of the globe. Vince is at the forefront of developing Natural Capital and Ecosystem Service Assessment (NCESA) as a scientific discipline, and has applied the approach in

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