Natural capital facts for kids

Mangrove swamp at Iriomote Island, Japan. These swamps help collect dirt, protect coasts, and are safe places for young fish to grow. This supports local fishing communities. Sadly, over 35% of the world's mangrove swamps have been destroyed in just 20 years.

A honeybee pollinating an avocado plant. Healthy numbers of wild and farmed pollinators are very important for farming. They help make sure we have enough food.

Natural capital is a way to describe the Earth's natural resources. This includes things like minerals, plants, and animals. We think of them as "capital" because they provide many important things for us. For example, they give us oxygen to breathe, clean our water, and stop the land from washing away. These helpful things are called ecosystem services.

In the past, people who studied economics saw "land" (nature) as different from "capital." Capital was usually seen as things made by humans, like factories. But nature gives us so many benefits!

A scientist named Robert Costanza looked closely at 17 of these benefits. He showed that nature's benefits are like the benefits from human-made capital. For example, a factory makes cars, and an apple tree makes apples. Both produce valuable things.

This idea helps us understand the value of nature. It's different from just seeing nature as a passive natural resource. However, we are still learning about the natural world. So, we don't yet know everything that "natural capital" truly means.

What is Natural Capital?

Natural capital refers to all the natural assets on Earth. These assets include things like clean air, fresh water, forests, oceans, and fertile soil. They are called "capital" because they provide a continuous flow of valuable services and goods. These services are essential for human life and our economies.

Why is it important?

Thinking about nature as "capital" helps us understand its true value. It shows that damaging nature can have a big economic cost. For example, if a forest is cut down, we lose clean air, water filtration, and a home for animals. These are all valuable services that the forest provided for free.

Examples of Natural Capital

There are many examples of natural capital all around us:

• Forests: They produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, prevent soil erosion, and provide wood and homes for wildlife.
• Rivers and Lakes: They provide fresh drinking water, support fish, and can be used for transport or energy.
• Oceans: They regulate the climate, provide food (fish), and are home to countless species.
• Soil: Healthy soil is needed to grow food and supports plant life.
• Pollinators: Insects like bees help plants grow fruits and vegetables.

Ecosystem Services

The benefits we get from natural capital are called ecosystem services. These are the processes by which natural environments produce resources that are necessary for our survival.

Types of Ecosystem Services

There are four main types of ecosystem services:

• Provisioning Services: These are the products we get from ecosystems.
  • Examples: Food (crops, fish), fresh water, timber, natural medicines.
• Regulating Services: These are the benefits from the regulation of ecosystem processes.
  • Examples: Climate regulation (forests absorbing carbon), flood control (wetlands absorbing water), disease control, water purification.
• Cultural Services: These are the non-material benefits people gain from ecosystems.
  • Examples: Recreation (hiking, fishing), spiritual enrichment, aesthetic beauty, educational opportunities.
• Supporting Services: These are the services necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.
  • Examples: Nutrient cycling (like the phosphorus cycle), soil formation, primary production (plants making their own food).

Protecting Natural Capital

It's very important to protect our natural capital. When we damage nature, we lose these valuable services. This can lead to problems like water shortages, air pollution, and less food.

Many people are now working to manage natural capital wisely. This means using resources in a way that doesn't harm them for future generations. It's about understanding that our economy and well-being depend on a healthy planet.

See also

• Natural resource
• Nature's services
• Ecosystem services

In Spanish: Capital natural para niños

Images for kids

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  Aerial view of the Amazon Rainforest. As a natural capital asset, rainforests help regulate air and water. They are also a source of new medicines and help remove carbon from the air.

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  Fires along the Rio Xingu, Brazil. Losing natural capital can greatly affect local and global economies, as well as the climate.

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  The many parts of natural capital provide important goods and ecosystem services. These support our main global needs, like food, water, fighting climate change, and energy.

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  Phosphorus cycle