Nature Goes to the Stock Exchange

There are things the economy struggles to price, precisely because it can’t replace them. A forest left standing, untouched by destructive fires. A seagrass meadow quietly growing on the seafloor, protecting the coastline. A wetland that holds water, a pollinator doing its job without ever issuing an invoice.

And yet, a mountain ecosystem is worth millions without a single tree being cut. A sea “produces” wealth without a single kilo of fish reaching market. A wetland offers services of immense value to a city without ever appearing anywhere as an asset. This is the economic value of nature, invisible for decades. Now, there’s an effort to put numbers on it.

For years, Europe has been searching for ways to recognize and value ecosystem services, from carbon storage and water retention to coastal protection and biodiversity conservation, with a dual goal: making that value visible, and creating new financing tools, including private-sector participation, to protect it.