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Valuing Nature – Guide to Quantifying Ecosystem Services

Governments often face difficult trade-offs between competing land uses: investments in agriculture, infrastructure and extractive industries may offer faster or more visible economic returns, while conservation delivers long-term, often less immediate, benefits for ecosystems, communities and future generations. In this context, protected areas are frequently seen as a moral or symbolic choice, rather than a practical investment. This perception reflects a deeper flaw in our decision-making: by failing to account for the true value of nature, we continue to prioritize short-term returns at the expense of long-term resilience. Recognizing protected areas as critical investment is a necessary step forward.

This paper reviews a range of valuation methods, both primary and secondary, and explores how they can be applied to quantify the tangible and intangible benefits provided by nature. The goal is to reframe conservation not as a sunk cost, but as a strategic investment that delivers long-term social, economic and ecological returns. This work is part of a broader effort to move from evidence to implementation. This paper focuses on making the case for conservation through valuation and focusses on three key areas: