The Science & Practice of Valuing Nature for a Better World

Catalog description

This course explores the science of valuing nature, through two interwoven pathways. One is biophysical, focused on human dependence and impacts on the biosphere. If well managed, lands, waters, and biodiversity yield a flow of vital benefits that sustain and fulfill human life. We'll develop a framework and technical modeling tools for quantifying these benefit streams. The second pathway is social and economic, and philosophical and spiritual, weaving through concepts of well-being, human development, and conservation - and the ethics and effects of their pursuit. In HW and individual projects, students have a choice of focusing more on the technical dimensions or on policy & practice dimensions of valuing nature in real-world decision-making.