Nature provides essential services that underpins all economic activity and well-being (e.g., water security, coastal protection, agricultural productivity). Yet these benefits are usually invisible and, therefore, often overlooked, in policy and investment decisions, raising risks and long-term costs.
Natural Capital for Development: Valuation, Investment and Policy equips decision-makers to make nature’s value visible and actionable through Natural Capital Assessment (mapping, modeling, valuation) and Natural Capital Accounting (including GEP), and Valuation. The course helps integrate this data into policy and investment across sectors supporting resilient economies, improved competitiveness, and enhance quality of life, and sustainable development.
This course has been developed through a collaboration between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Stanford University’s Natural Capital Alliance , with funding from the Global Environment Facility.
Throughout the course, you'll build four core competencies. First, you'll understand nature as an asset, recognizing nature as form of capital that generates critical flows of goods - such as food, timber, clean air and water - and services – such as temperature regulation, soil formation, nutrient cycling, erosion control, coastal protection, among others. Second, you will learn how to integrate results of natural capital approaches into decision-making through key entry points across institutions and sectors. Third, you will understand the process of conducting a Natural Capital Assessment through practical examples. Finally, you will analyze how to use the assessment results to inform natural capital accounting and valuation, key to inform public policy and investment decisions.
Drawing on cases from Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regions, this course connects you to a global community of practitioners and equips you to bring these tools into your own institution or territory. Nature is a productive asset for development and integrating its values into decision-making processes can help countries deliver growth with resilience, improve service reliability, and strengthen economic activity and competitiveness and create pathways to reduce poverty, and improve lives.
This course is self-paced, so you can enroll at any time, even if it has been open for a while.
If you choose the Audit mode, you will have unlimited access to the course's content, but you will not be able to complete graded assessments or earn a certificate.
If you choose the Verified Certificate mode, you can access the course without time limits and complete the graded assessments until the closing date, after making a payment of USD 29. Upon successful completion, you will receive a verified certificate and a digital badge to showcase your achievement on professional platforms.
edX also offers financial assistance for learners who are unable to pay the certificate fee. Eligible participants may receive up to 90% discount.
Did you know about edX's financial assistance to obtain the verified certificate and digital badge?
edX offers financial aid to learners who have difficulty making the payment. Enroll in the course and fill out this financial assistance application.
