WSP Climate Change and Sustainability SOQ

NATURAL CAPITAL AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Natural capital is a term used to describe those ele ments of the natural environment that produce value to people. It is underpinned by biodiversity. If managed sustainably, natural capital provides a continuous flow of ecosystem services that provide benefits for humans including food, water, recreation, clean air and an equitable climate to live in. The biodiversity of the natural world has intrinsic value. It’s also critical for the co-benefits it provides to the climate, hu man health, social cohesion and economic resilience. There is an interdependency among nature, people and society — and a healthy biosphere is what underpins everything. Multidisciplinary thinking across sectors As a multidisciplinary consultancy, we provide clients with strategies and solutions that address their broader objectives across the built and natural environment. Our capabilities in biodiversity and natural capital help to enhance ecological value from initial conception and approvals, through detailed design to construction, development and ongoing operations, as well as site closure and rehabilitation. We work with clients to support biodiversity and natural capital in a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure (transportation, power and ener gy, water), development (real estate, construction, urban planning), public sector (all levels of government), financial institutions (private equity, in ternational financing corporations, development banks), mining, industry, conservation authorities and not-for-profit organizations. Accounting for natural capital

Biodiversity isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s also a social and financial issue. By considering “natural capital” — those elements of the natural environment that benefit people, the economy and society — companies and governments are better able to incorporate the value of nature into project planning and decision-making. Our natural capital approach helps clients uncover the true economic costs (externalities) of biodiversity loss and diminished ecosystem function, providing a better understanding of how to manage the associated risks, enhance value and increase resilience in a changing world. Nature-based solutions for the built environment The natural environment provides individuals, local communities and wider society with numerous “ecosystem services” and amenities, such as stormwa -

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