Investing in Natural Capital presents the results of a workshop held following the second biannual conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics in August 1996. It focuses on the relation of human development to natural capital, and the relation of natural capital to environmental processes. Because we are capable of understanding our impact on the environment and the importance of managing it sustainably, humans play a special role in our ecosystem. The book emphasizes the essential connections between natural ecosystems and human socioeconomic systems, and the importance of insuring that both remain resilient. Specific chapters deal with methodology, case material, and policy questions, and offer a thorough exploration of this provocative and important alternative to conventional economics.
