Ecosystem services are gaining the attention of government officials around the world. From 2009 through 2012, BSR has documented a wide and growing range of public-sector activities related to the issue. Given the breadth and growing depth of public sector work on ecosystem services, it is increasingly clear that it now has the potential to shape future policy and regulations as well as government expectations of the private sector, particularly on public lands.
For businesses, the questions about this emerging domain are many and include where, how, and on what time frame ecosystem services may gain traction in specific governments around the world. This work is linked with the growing efforts on natural capital and integrating monetary value, along with more traditional measures, into gross domestic product (GDP). The potential implications are numerous and could ultimately include transferring the costs of using ecosystem services to beneficiaries and user groups, including the private sector.