Natural Capital Economics
Nature provides benefits through various ecosystem services. The challenge is understanding the economic, environmental and sociocultural value of these benefits to inform management and investment. We are experts in applying best practice frameworks to understand ecosystem services of natural capital.
Ecosystem service identification and valuation
We apply the full suite of economic and accounting techniques to valuing natural capital and the ecosystem services they provide. This includes the United Nations System for Environmental Economic Accounting (UN-SEEA) and the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) frameworks. We are well-versed in the underpinnings of these and other frameworks. This enables us to apply the right approach based on the intended decision-making approach. We are also across the prevailing research, allowing us to identify the benefits and limitations of each method.
Environmental markets
Markets in biodiversity are rapidly evolving. The Commonwealth Nature Repair Bill 2023 will establish a framework for tradeable biodiversity certificates, which adds to other market opportunities in natural capital. Navigating these market requires consideration of a range of associated transaction costs, as well as commercially-driven growth in demand and supply. While biodiversity offset opportunities exist, increasingly aiming for nature-positive outcomes, challenges around metrics and durability persist. In collaboration with technical experts across the Alluvium Group, we are uniquely positioned to apply our combined technical and policy expertise, assisting our clients in effectively navigating this evolving landscape.
Nature and climate-related disclosures
The voluntary Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) frameworks empower corporations to assess, report, and act on their nature and climate-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities. As emerging global standards, these frameworks offer companies a structured approach to understand and manage their ecological and climate footprint, and to effectively communicate their strategy to investors and the global marketplace. Leveraging expertise from across the Alluvium Group, we provide a comprehensive, single-source solution for organisations seeking to understand and respond to this crucial opportunity.
Evaluation of management solutions
Effective natural resource management hinges on understanding diverse stakeholders, drivers, and incentives. We have cultivated deep expertise in leveraging multiple benefits and opportunities to monetise values, driving action to restore, manage, protect, and enhance nature. By integrating technical skills and knowledge from across the Alluvium Group, we deliver robust recommendations for natural capital management, engagement, and policy.
Industry leadership
Our industry leaders are known for their deep expertise and knowledge in their field. They bring a thorough understanding of industry trends, technologies and best practices.
Jim Binney
Practitioner
Jim is a resource and environmental economic practitioner with over 25 years’ of postgraduate experience. Since 2006 he has undertaken in excess of 220 consulting assignments.<br><br>Cost-benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, and non-market valuation are tools used in most of his projects. A major focus of his work is the integration of environmental values into mainstream decision making and investment.<br><br>Jim has experience across a broad range of resource and environmental management issues including water management (allocations, infrastructure investment (urban and rural), water use efficiency, water quality, and stormwater), catchment management, climate change, vegetation management, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development, waste management, development policy, impacts of resource development projects, and natural capital valuation.<br><br>Jim has undertaken consulting assignments in all states and territories across Australia as well as numerous international assignments in Tuvalu, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Myanmar, China, Federated State of Micronesia, and for multinational organisations (e.g. SPREP, UN, FAO, OECD, GIZ, World Bank).<br><br>Prior to commencing his consulting career in 2006, Jim was the Director of Economics for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources.<br><br>Jim is currently spending a significant proportion of his time on assignments in the South Pacific.
Dr Amar Doshi
Dr Amar Doshi brings over a decade of experience in natural resource, environmental and regulatory economics, across research, academia, the public sector and to consulting with Natural Capital & Climate.<br><br>He has experience across a diverse range of fields, undertaking complex applied economic analysis that meets the rigour and nuance of different disciplines and contexts. This includes non-market valuation of environmental resources, techno-economic production models for alternative fuels, cost-benefit analyses and business cases for investment options, and advice for policy and decision-making. Amar’s experience includes investigating water supply requirements in regional areas, waterway restoration assessments in rural and urban regions, assessment and design of market-based incentives for environmental outcomes, assessments of new technology industries, and estimation of values for urban and natural resources like marine parks, coral reefs and urban lakes. His work has taken him across Australia and Southeast Asia.<br><br>A key aspect to Amar’s work is proper consideration of stakeholder values, either through survey design and analysis, or direct engagement through interviews and workshops. He regularly leans on stakeholder input with published literature within his analysis and advice. Amar is also a trained facilitator to develop Investment Logic Mapping, working towards accreditation under the Investment Management Standard, which is a critical component in developing business cases in Australia and internationally.
Dr Sasha Courville
Dr. Sasha Courville is a strategy and sustainability leader with over twenty years’ experience in embedding climate and nature into corporate strategies. She led the development and implementation of Bank Australia’s climate strategy with a net zero by 2035 target, was accountable for climate risk and led nature and biodiversity and First Nations recognition and respect strategies at Bank Australia. At NAB, Sasha led the development of its natural capital strategy with NAB Agribusiness, demonstrating that improved management of biodiversity and ecosystem services reduced risk and improved long-term profitability. She also led work to define net zero pathways and targets for key sectors aligned with the Net Zero Banking Alliance. She is a strong advocate for the role that agriculture can play in the transition to a net zero nature-positive economy and was previously a Commissioner for International Agricultural Research, supporting ACIAR’s executive team in integrating change climate mitigation and adaptation as well as women’s economic empowerment as cross-cutting issues in its 10-year strategy.<br><br>Sasha has significant expertise in driving sustainability considerations into global value chains, having served as Executive Director of the London-based ISEAL Alliance, the global association for sustainability standards systems, defining best practice guidelines on standard-setting, audit and assurance and impact measurement. Sasha is currently the Chair of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, leveraging multi-stakeholder processes to define what good looks like on climate, nature, circularity and human rights for the global aluminium value chain.<br><br>Sasha is passionate about building the capability of senior leaders and board members to understand and manage risks associated with climate change and nature loss, and to identify commercial opportunities that drive long-term value creation.
Mitchell Perry
Mitchell is a resource economist with Natural Capital & Climate. He specialises in applying economic and financial analysis to natural resource management issues to inform decision-making.<br><br>With NCC, Mitchell has worked on consulting assignments across Australia and overseas. Major focuses of his work have been using cost-benefit analysis to compare options and to develop business cases, using market and non-market valuation techniques to value ecosystem services, and undertaking economic analysis of natural hazards to inform climate change adaptation.<br><br>Prior to consulting, Mitchell worked in finance, in roles with government, and with several large corporations in Australia and the United Kingdom. He holds a master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of New England.
Projects in Natural Capital Economics
Natural Capital Business Case for NSW LLS
Investment pathways for water quality in the Great Barrier Reef
Economic valuation of ecosystem Valuation for Ayeyarwady River Basin, Myanmar
Evaluation of market-based approaches to deliver progress towards water quality targets
Economic analysis of seasonal wetlands in the Greater Grampians Region
See more projects in Natural Capital Economics
More Natural Capital and Climate capabilities
Business case development
We work with our clients to ensure decisions are backed by robust evidence and demonstrate value for money.
Climate and resilience advisory
We support clients to understand climate risk and to build adaptive capacity that underpins resilience and creates opportunities for value creation.
Economic valuation of impacts and benefits
Our team are experts in applying both market and non-market valuation techniques across a range of study contexts.
Policy and governance
We are a national leader in the provision of policy, governance, planning and evaluation advice across Australia's land and water resources.