Natural Capital valuation

Understand the true value of your land before you build.

Build with a better understanding of your land

Your property's natural features may be providing you more value than you realize.

By understanding what is already there, what it does, and what it is worth, you can make more informed decisions about what to protect, what to restore, and how to develop your property in ways that support both your project and the surrounding environment.

Before you clear it, understand what it's worth.

Contact Green Feet Ecosystem Services to learn how our pre-development ecological assessments, native plant rescue, and planning support can help you make the most of your property's natural assets.

What is Natural Capital valuation?

When planning a development, we consider the value of purchasing the land, buildings, materials, labour, and infrastructure. But what about the value of the natural features already on the property?

Trees, wetlands, soils, waterways, and other natural features provide benefits that can save money, support communities, and improve the long-term value of a property.

These natural resources and systems are known as natural capital.

Natural capital valuation (or accounting) is a way of identifying, measuring, and tracking these natural assets and the benefits they provide. It helps us better understand the environmental, social, and economic value of a property, beyond its purchase price or development potential.

Rather than treating nature as empty space waiting to be developed, natural capital accounting recognizes that the land may already be doing valuable work.

This approach is supported by the United Nations' System of Environmental-Economic Accounting and the Natural Capital Protocol, which provide internationally recognized methods for understanding the connections between nature and economic decisions.

Natural capital

Nature's resources and living systems that provide (measurable!) benefits to us.

ecosystem services

The benefits we, as people, receive from the natural world around us, such as clean water, fresh air, food, etc.

How can Green Feet help?

At Green Feet Ecosystem Services, we believe that good development starts with understanding the land.

Our approach brings together ecological knowledge, fieldwork, aerial imagery, environmental planning, and practical solutions to help developers make informed decisions.

Depending on the project, our existing services can support natural capital assessment through:

Pre-Development Bio-Audits
- Identifying and mapping ecological assets and opportunities to protect or incorporate valuable natural features.

Botanical Audits & Native Plant Rescue
- Documenting existing native vegetation and identifying opportunities to rescue and reuse plants before disturbance.

Aerial Imagery & Analysis
- Using drones, mapping, and remote sensing to better understand land cover, vegetation, and site conditions.

Environmental Impact Studies
- Evaluating potential effects on natural features and identifying ways to avoid or reduce impacts.

Restoration
- Helping to ensure landscapes are as healthy as possible in order to provide long-term environmental benefits.

Environmental Communications
- Presenting technical findings in clear, accessible formats for developers, planning authorities, and communities.

A formal Natural Capital Valuation study may also require additional economic valuation, modelling, or specialist expertise depending on the project. Green Feet Ecosystem Services has a network of experts to draw on in order to augment our in-house expertise.

What does Natural Capital valuation look like on a development site?

Trees & Woodlands

Provide shade, absorb carbon dioxide, help manage stormwater, support wildlife, provide space for outdoor activities, and contribute to attractive neighbourhoods.

Wetlands & Waterways

Store and slow stormwater, help filter water, reduce flood risks, and provide important habitat for animals.

Healthy Soils

Support plant growth, absorb and store water, cycle nutrients, and store carbon.

Native Plants & Wildlife Habitat

Support pollinators, maintain local biodiversity, stabilize soil, and contribute to healthy, resilient landscapes.

These are just a few examples of features that provide ecosystem services. Many of these services would be costly or difficult to replace using engineered infrastructure.

Why should developers care?

Understanding your property's existing natural capital can give you key information to consider before construction begins.

Existing trees, natural drainage areas, and healthy soils may reduce the need for some landscaping, stormwater infrastructure, or restoration work. Actual savings depend on site conditions and design.

Identifying valuable environmental features early means they can be considered when choosing building locations, road layouts, drainage systems, and landscaping designs.

Early assessments can reveal sensitive habitats, flooding concerns, erosion risks, and environmental constraints that may affect project design, budgets, or approvals.

Mature trees, attractive natural spaces, and well-designed green areas can improve the appeal of a development.

Documenting how natural features are protected, restored, or enhanced can support discussions with planning authorities, investors, and local communities, including the local Conservation Authority and other key regulatory organizations.

Natural Capital Valuation can help show a different way costs can be measured, that is more accurate in the long-term. It goes beyond immediate construction costs and considers a more complete look at costs, benefits, and trade-offs that come from different land-use decisions.

How does Natural Capital valuation work?

Natural capital assessments typically involve:

What natural features are already on the property?
The first step is to identify and map the natural features currently found on the property, such as forests, wetlands, streams, soils, and wildlife habitats.
Information is gathered about the condition of these features, how the land and water are currently used, existing infrastructure, and how the property is managed.
This step also identifies which ecosystem services are most important to assess as part of the process. These might include stormwater management, carbon storage, water filtration, or wildlife habitat.
Understanding what is already on the land helps developers recognize valuable natural assets and identify potential opportunities or challenges before making development decisions.
What benefits is nature already providing?
Once the natural features have been identified, modelling tools can be used to estimate and measure the benefits they currently provide.
For example, modelling can help estimate how much rainwater a wetland absorbs, how much carbon is stored in vegetation and soils, or how natural features help reduce erosion.
Modelling helps developers understand the environmental and potential economic value of existing natural features, including benefits that might otherwise be overlooked.
How can valuable natural features be protected or improved?
Using information gathered from the site, opportunities can be identified to protect important natural features, restore damaged areas, and improve the ecological health of the property.
This could involve preserving mature trees, maintaining natural drainage areas, restoring wetlands, or rescuing native plants before construction.
Protection and restoration plans can be developed alongside the proposed development, helping balance project goals with environmental benefits.
Protecting and improving existing natural features reduces environmental impacts, lowers certain long-term costs, and creates more resilient properties.
How might different development choices affect the property in the future?
Scenario modelling allows developers to explore and compare different options for how a property could be developed or managed.
For example, one scenario might involve clearing a wooded area for construction, while another could explore designing around part of the woodland. Models can help estimate how each option might affect stormwater management, carbon storage, habitat, and other ecosystem services.
Scenario modelling can also explore the potential benefits of investments in nature, such as restoring wetlands, planting trees, or creating naturalized spaces.
Comparing possible future outcomes helps developers understand trade-offs, identify potential cost savings, and choose approaches that support both development goals and long-term environmental health.
Not every benefit should be assigned a dollar amount. A strong assessment also considers biodiversity, cultural importance, and other values that financial calculations will never fully capture.

Example: A woodland on a proposed development site

Imagine you're planning a new residential development on a property with an existing woodland.

You have two potential options:

Option A: Clear the Forest

Remove the trees and replace some with planted landscaping, then add drainage infrastructure and other engineered features to replace the lost ecosystem services.

Option B: Incorporate the Forest

Design around suitable portions of the woodland, retaining trees, natural drainage, and habitat where feasible, keeping as many ecosystem services intact as possible. This also lessens the cost for engineered features to replace those ecosystem services.

A natural capital assessment could help compare the options by examining:

The cost of clearing, grading, and replacing vegetation.

Existing stormwater management and soil functions.

The cooling and shade provided by mature trees.

Habitat, biodiversity, and ecological connectivity.

Long-term landscaping and maintenance needs.

The land available for construction and potential effects on project revenue.

The results might show that retaining certain natural features offers financial and environmental benefits that outweigh the costs of designing around them.

However, this isn't always the case. The purpose of natural capital valuation is to provide better information, not to predetermine which option should be chosen.