This report aims to inform Ontarians about key economic issues involving ecosystem services and biodiversity in Ontario. These are considered together because their economic issues are similar. This follows the practice of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), of which Canada is a member. This report updates an earlier 2012 report with […]

Last month, an article and editorial were published in Nature that framed our community as one divided into warring ideological factions, concentrated on squabbles about semantics rather than debates about substance. Our response has demonstrated that we are anything but. Last week, Nature published several letters that were received in response, including a joint letter […]

This report demonstrates how to quantify the benefits and costs of natural infrastructure as a strong complement or a viable alternative to grey infrastructure option for flood mitigation. Natural infrastructure can be a cost-effective way to mitigate material financial losses that would otherwise result from flooding Moreover, natural infrastructure can offer other valuable environmental and […]

The Ecosystem Services Toolkit is a technical guide to ecosystem services assessment and analysis that offers practical, step-by-step guidance for governments at all levels, as well as for consultants and researchers. The approach is fully interdisciplinary, integrating biophysical sciences, social sciences, economics, and traditional and practitioner knowledge. It provides guidance on how to consider and […]

This study reviewed Canada’s comprehensive wealth performance over the 33-year period from 1980 to 2013. This timeframe extends well beyond business and political cycles, ensuring that the results reveal trends free from the ebb and flow of markets and policies. Comprehensive wealth focuses on the role of people, the environment and the economy in creating […]

This report provides an estimate of the final ecological services provided by the Greenbelt’s natural capital.

This plan describes the actions we will take over the next five years to fight climate change: to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and help move us to a prosperous low carbon economy. It recognizes the tremendous economic opportunities that exist for Ontario as the world seeks to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It ensures […]

Why more cities need to add up the economic value of trees

Webinar: An Introduction to the National Ecosystem Services Classification System Start date: 2016/01/14 – End date: 2016/01/14 Location: online Join the National Ecosystem Services Partnership at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions for the first in a two-part webinar series that provides an overview of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ecosystem Services Classification […]

The past decade has witnessed a burgeoning interest within scholarly and applied circles in the re-casting of environmental amenities as commodities for trade, marketable in much the same way as a loaf of bread or a quart of strawberries. With the ostensibly growing foothold of the ‘ecosystem services’ (ES) paradigm, the public good nature of […]