RT Report
T1 Towards a global map of natural capital: key ecosystem assets
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
A2 Dickson, Barney
A2 Blaney, Ralph
A2 Miles, Lera
A2 Regan, Eugenie
A2 van Soesbergen, Arnout
A2 Väänänen, Elina
A2 Blyth, Simon
A2 Harfoot, Mike
A2 Martin, Corinne
A2 McOwen, Chris
A2 Newbold, Tim
A2 van Bochove, Jan
K1 environmental assessment
K1 natural resource
PB United Nations Environment Programme
SN 978-92-807-3403-4
YR 2014
FD 2014
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/9255
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/9255
NO This report presents a pilot study mapping the global distribution of key ecosystem assets as components of natural capital. It outlines the relationship between natural capital, ecosystem assets, and ecosystem services, and reviews approaches to physical and monetary assessment and spatial mapping. The study combines global datasets covering fresh water resources, terrestrial carbon, soil quality, terrestrial and marine biodiversity, and marine fish stocks. These datasets are normalised and combined into composite maps for terrestrial and marine ecosystems, while limitations in data coverage, resolution, and asset representation are examined.
NO SummaryIntroductionDefining Natural Capital and Ecosystem AssetsPolicy Drivers and Key PlayersAssessing Natural Capital4.1. Physical Assessment4.2. Monetary Assessment4.3. Mapping Natural Capital4.3.1. Why Map Natural Capital?4.3.2. Challenges in Mapping Natural CapitalTowards a Global Map of Natural Capital5.1. Methodology5.2. Key Ecosystem Assets5.2.1. Water5.2.2. Terrestrial Carbon5.2.3. Soil Quality for Plant Growth5.2.4. Terrestrial Biodiversity5.2.5. Marine Biodiversity5.2.6. Marine Global Fish Catch5.3. Composite MapConclusions and Next Steps in Mapping Natural CapitalReferencesAnnex 1: Technical Descriptions for Each Map
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 20, 2026